Forget me not
by Raining-skye23
Summary: Minori Skye is a powerful shinigami who become a seated officer of the 6th division without graduating. Her presence brought long-forgotten feelings to Byakuya. How would their love continue? Rated M for later chapters. ByakuyaXOC
1. Chapter 1: Misunderstanding

**Hi people! This is my first Fanfic so please review and give suggestions! Thank you:) **  
**btw, I do not own bleach or any bleach characters. However, I do own the character Minori Skye! **

"Are there any questions regarding the west gate security?" Yamamoto taicho paused. "Fine then, let's go on to the last announcement. I have personally picked a Shinigami from the academy to join our Gotei 13. She has not completed her education, but I can see that she is already ready to graduate. She will join your team, Byakuya, as the 3rd seat of the 6th division. Everyone of you, listen up. I do not want anyone of you to underestimate her, because HER POWERS ARE ALMOST EQUAL TO A CAPTAIN'S."

There was a long silence. Byakuya finally said, "I understand."

"Good. She should be waiting at your office, Byakuya. You are dismissed then."

As Byakuya walked away, Gin caught up with him. "So, what's that little girl's name, I wonder?"

"You will know soon, Ichimaru." With that, he disappeared in a flash.

**Byakuya's POV**

When I reached my office, the only person I see is Renji. He looks exhausted. "There you are, taicho. Matsumoto just passed me this thick stack of paperwork, waiting for you to sign."

I glanced at him and asked, "Renji, did you see a new girl in my office?"

"Nope. Why?"

I can't be bothered to answer him.

"Who is she?" Renji asked again. "Hey don't ignore me, I'm asking a question!"

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. "Excuse me, I am looking for Byakuya taicho."

"Come in". I ignored Renji's comment.

**Skye's POV**

As I stepped into the office, the first person I see is this red-haired guy sitting on the couch. Well, and the second person I see is a black-haired man leaning against the table, staring at me emotionlessly. He looks kind of cool, I have to admit, but I can sense his complex emotions hidden behind his calm, composed face. Judging by the cool guy's uniform, I can confirm that he must be Byakuya taicho. This is not going to be good.

I have to say something sooner or later, so here it goes. "Ehh…konnichiwa!"

As soon as I said that, I regretted. 3rd seat officer, someone who can't even speak properly. Furthermore, I am entered Gotei 13 without graduating, so there are sure some Shinigamis who would doubt my abilities and ask for a fight. This is difficult. I came here not to fight recklessly, which is my main reason for rejecting Yamamoto taicho's offer to be a team captain. I want to keep a low profile.

"Hi, I'm Abarai Renji. I'm the futaicho. Who are you?"

Well, at least Renji is friendly. But still, he is not the taicho.

"Minori Skye. Nice to meet you. And you must be Byakuya taicho."

"Minori, Yamamoto taicho said that you are strong and you became a 3rd seat without graduating, so I expect nothing less than that, do I make myself clear?"

I paused. Minori. He called me Minori. "Hai."

From the corners of my eyes, I see Renji raising an eyebrow. "Without graduating?" Renji repeated.

The discussion about my powers. Is that what everyone looks at? How strong you are?

"Your first task is to help Renji with these paperwork. Sort them out according to the dates and pass each checked paperwork to sign. I expect this to be done by the end of the day. Get started."

**Byakuya's POV**

There's something about her. Minori. Her soft brown eyes; Her dark purple hair which is shoulder length on the left side and gradually gets longer until it reaches her waist on the right side; Her aloof personality. She is amusing and quiet. It has been a long time since I find any girl interesting, besides Hisana. I wonder what her power is. She must really be special if Yamamoto taicho mentioned about her powers.

"Onii sama, may we go now?"

"Of course."

I walked along the corridors with Rukia behind me. It seems that the Sun is bright today. I hear faint footsteps. "…and remember, don't ever say something disrespectful to Byakuya taicho, he comes from one of the noble families…" I hear my name. The voice is definitely Renji's. Who is he talking to? As I turned round a corner, my questioned is answered.

**Skye's POV**

"Taicho! Rukia! I was just showing Skye around." Renji grinned.

There, in front of me, is Byakuya taicho. And the girl behind him must be Rukia.

"Byakuya taicho. Ohayou gozaimasu." I took a peek at the girl behind him. She is petite.

"Minori." He tilted his head towards Rukia and continued, "Rukia, this is the new 3rd seat of the 6th division, Minori Skye."

"Ohayou, Renji, Skye." She looked up at me and smiled timidly. Renji whispered in my ear. "She's Byakuya taicho's sister."

Byakuya frowned. "She is of a higher rank than you Rukia. Do you think this is how you should greet her?"

Rukia looked down, and said, this time, more carefully, "I'm sorry, please forgive me, Minori san."

This girl is damaged by her brother. She looks like those outgoing and friendly type, someone who can be my friend.

I rarely let my emotions get the better of me, but I've seen this kind of situation before. I gently raised my voice. "It's alright. Skye is fine too."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows again, but he said no more. "Minori, I need you to find Hitsugaya taicho and inform him that the joint practice today is cancelled."

"Hitsugaya taicho?" My mind is blank. Who is this guy?

Byakuya glanced at Renji. "I thought you were introducing her to the Gotei 13."

"I did! Hitsugaya Toushiro, 10th division. How many times must I remind you, Skye?"

I bit my finger. "Ahh, I remember now…do you know how to find him?"

Renji slap his hand on his face. "What is your brain made of? Arghh…must I do this,taicho? I still have tons of paperwork!"

"I can take her there, Renji. I'm going to find Ukitake taicho anyways."

So, I followed Rukia to Hitsugaya taicho's office while Renji and Byakuya taicho went in the opposite direction. I am only slightly taller than Rukia.

…..

"Ermm Rukia, how is your brother?"

"Ehh? What do you mean? He's okay, I guess."

"Is he always like that?"

"….I think so. Onii sama is not my real brother. I am adopted by the Kuchiki family because I looked like onii sama's deceased wife. So I guess I don't really know him."

"Really?" I never thought of that. "He had a wife?"

"Here we are. So I'm going to find my captain now. Dewa mata!" Rukia smiled at me.

I walked into the office. Well, I didn't see anyone. Oh wait. there's a kid sitting at the captain's table. That boy has white spiky hair and blue eyes. He seems older than me. He reminds me of….no, I should not think about that now. I coughed twice and asked, "Konnichiwa, have you seen Hitsugaya taicho?"

The boy stared at me for a minute, then frowned. "Who are you? I never seen you before. By any chance, are you the new 3rd seat of the 6th division?"

I looked at him, confused. "Ha..i." Wait, he's wearing…no…are you serious? This kid.."You are Hitsugaya Toushiro?"

"Its Hitsugaya taicho, idiot! But since its your first time here, I shall forgive you. Hn."

I giggled. He's really like _him._ So the Captain of the 10th division is a kid? "Nice to meet you, Hitsugaya taicho." And I told him the message.

"Hn. So what is your name?" He glanced at me.

"Skye. Skye Minori."

"I see. So, you are the powerful one huh, no brains?"

"What? No brains? What are you, a kid? You are no better than me. Hn."

"Is this how you talk to a taicho, or someone older than you, you disrespectful little brat?"

"Who are you calling disrespectful little brat? Doesn't matter how old you are, you are shorter than me." I flashed him my evil smile.

"you..you…I will make you regret ever arguing with me, brat!"

He is exactly like _him_. "Taeda." I whispered. "Taeda?" I repeated more loudly as I stared at his mesmerizing deep blue eyes.

"What are you two doing?"

**Byakuya's POV**

"What are you two doing?" I heard Minori saying Taeda loudly as I entered the office. And she looked hypnotized by HItsugaya's eyes.

"Oh Byakuya?" Hitsugaya finally broke his eye contact with Minori and looked at me, blushing.

After a few seconds, Minori turned around. "Oh taicho. What are you doing here?"

I didn't reply her, waiting for her response.

She hid her emotions behind her eyes, then looked confused for a second, and came to realization. "Ahh..I apologise, HItsugaya taicho. I confused you with someone else. Sorry."

"I think I will get going now, taicho." She said softly.

She looked so delicate. like glass; like she's going to break anytime. Who is Taeda? What is that? I feel a very strong riatsu. Very strong. It feels like….

"What is Kenpachi doing? He hasn't found another fighting partner, has he?" Hitsugaya looked at me. "What are you doing…wait, what is that?"

I can feel another riatsu. Faint, but its getting stronger.

"Definitely fighting again." Hitsugaya shook his head. "Should we stop him? He will get suspended if he continues his massacre."

Though it is just another fight, I can't help feeling uneasy. My mind suddenly thought about Minori. What if...I wonder. Minori. "We have to hurry there now." And then I'm gone.

At the centre of the Shinigami gathering ground, Kenpachi and Minori stood face to face with each other. Kenpachi looks excited, with his sword swinging in front of him. Minori, however, looks frightened and hesitant. She hasn't even drawn her sword. The whole of the 11th division, and almost all other taicho and futaicho have rushed there as well. Everyone looks eager to find out about Minori's power. I can't say that I don't want to know. In fact, I am really looking forward to see her fight. How powerful can she be?

**Skye's POV**

So he is the all famous Kenpachi taicho. I see why he is feared. He has a very strong riatsu and a very cocky attitude. he looks like the type who loves to fight. Those who loves winning more than their lives. Well, I am not going to fight with him. I don't want to fight. I did not come here to fight, but what can I do now? There is the whole of 11th division cheering him on, and the baldie's voice ( I think he is Ikkaku) is soo loud! And I think his riatsu just attracted every single shinigami in soul society. What am I going to do now? Wait, is that Byakuya?

"I am really excited to see your powers. In fact, I am shaking with excitement right now. I am sure every one standing here is eager to see your powers, after what Yamamoto taicho said. He really complimented you, you know. Please do not disappoint me. IT took me so long to find someone worthy to fight with me." This is bad. Kenpachi is really losing it.

I tried to hide my fear. I really hate to fight. It reminds me of _them._ I said as calmly as possible, "I do not wish to fight with you, Kenpachi taicho. Please do not force me."

Kenpachi laughed. "But you don't have a choice, shinigami. I am a captain, you know. Do you really want me to order you to fight with me? Do not abuse your freedom. Besides, it will really be an insult if you refuse my fight. Are you sure you are willing to hold the consequences? And everyone here will be disappointed in you. Ohh, and even the captains are here! This is going to be fun! Hahaha!"

I don't have a choice. _Kara, Taeda… _I'm sorry. I can't even save myself.

I hear myself say "Okay."

"Go Ken chan!" I saw this petite pink-colored hair girl cheering on for our all-time powerful Kenpachi. Ironic. Well, better start worrying about myself.

"Since you are a pretty lady, I shall give you the benefit of attacking first. Make sure it's a hard blow, or else it wouldn't even make up for a breakfast treat!"

He is so arrogant! Argh, what's he's problem? I smiled, nonetheless. "Well, if you are going to ask me to attack first, then I'm afraid this fight will never move on. Because as I said,I-AM-NOT-FIGHTING-YOU."

"Is that so? Well, I guess it's the gentleman's strike then. Don't say I never give you a chance, shinigami."

He angled his sword carefully in front of him and dashed towards me in ALMOST lightning speed. ALMOST. I don't usually boast about my powers, but when it comes to flash steps, I always travel at the _speed of light_.

As I avoided him easily, I can hear shinigamis gasping. "She's gone!" "So fast! She actually avoided Kenpachi taicho!" "That's amazing!"

I saw Byakuya raising an eyebrow and Hitsugaya forming his mouth into an O-shape. I smirked. They look so cute. Haha.

What should I do now? It seems that the only way left for me is to fight him. If I keep avoiding him, it would be seen as disrespectful. After all, he is a captain. And I am just…nobody. _I'm sorry, Kara_. After all that you taught me, I must still draw my sword. _I'm really sorry. Please forgive me. _

"So you finally drew your sword, shinigami. I am impressed. You travel so fast. I am so excited! Continue to impress me, shinigami!"

I position my sword in front of me, took a deep breath, and said, "You asked for it. But before I fight, what is the name of your sword?"

"name of my sword?" Kenpachi howled with laughter. "What a foolish question. Let me tell you something, shinigami. Your sword is just a tool that you use to fight with. It is nothing but a TOOL. So why should tools have names? Enough of this nonsense. Go on, I'm waiting."

This guy is crazy. A sword is just a tool? A sword means a lot. It carries the souls of your loved ones, the memories of your past, and it never abandon you. Doesn't that mean a lot? This guy has never truly grabbed his sword before.

But I found myself saying it nonetheless. "It's called _hotaru no hikari_." And then, I closed my eyes.

**Byakuya's POV**

Minori keeps giving me surprises. She avoided Kenpachi's attacks in a swift. She looks so calm, as though its not the end of the world, and did she just closed her eyes? What confidence.

"She..she…Byakuya, did you see that?" Hitsugaya stammered.

I looked at him questioning.

"She just avoided him at that speed! She didn't even swing her sword! Her eyes are closed! It's as though she..."

"She knows his next attack." I finished.

How did she do that? Did she predict Kenpachi's moves, that's why she knows where to avoid in her next move? That seems like the only possible explanation.

What is the power of her sword?

**Skye's POV**

Kenpachi is getting serious. No, wait. Actually, he looks kind of bored too. Is my moves _boring_? That's so insulting!

I need to finish off this fight quickly. I can't keep using this attack. He would realize the logic behind it soon. Then again, Byakuya seems to have figured it out already. He's made to be a taicho, I guess.

I opened my eyes. Everyone seems to be awed by our little warm up just now. So, my next move….

_Hikari. Now. _I whispered to my sword. I need to make this quick without showing too much of my powers.

My sword lights up brilliantly, the white light shining and spreading to the surroundings.

"What new trick is that, shinigami? That is what I call a surprise! I love this fight!"

Hn. The fight's going to end soon. "I suggest you close your eyes, Kenpachi taicho, or else you'd be blind."

**Byakuya's POV**

It's so bright, I can't see a thing. I can't even see Hitsugaya, who should be standing beside me. I can only see white. Blinding white. My eyes hurt as I am straining to see what's going on. What is Minori planning now?

**Minori's POV**

Well, I know its blinding, and I know that the whole environment is cover in white light but I am not affected by the light at all. I can see clearly, Kenpachi's smile, His shivering sword…

My final attack, I am going to make it quick. I flash stepped to where Kenpachi is standing and swing my sword at his chest…

What? It didn't even cut through him! He is solid! My sword didn't even cut through his skin! What is he made of? I think it's his riatsu. Well, my mistake. I raised my riatsu until it matches his, and attacked again.

"Ha. Got you now. You think you can blind me, but without my eyes, I still have my nose and ears! I can still sense where your attacks are coming from! Did I cut you, shinigami?"

Shit. He got me. I didn't even touch him. He swung his sword at me the very last second, and it cut my right shoulder.

I can't attack the third time. He's figured it out quite fast. And to think I traveled in the speed of light…I have to change my attack again. And it better work this time. Shit, my shoulder stings.

**Byakuya's POV**

I heard Kenpachi's voice. So he's figured it out. The lights are slowing getting dimmer. Finally, I can see. The light seems to be retreating back to Minori's sword. After all the lights have dissipated, Her sword shone brightly for one last time before it loses its light.

"Ouch! My eyes hurts! Damn you, Skye.." Renij is complaining.

"She's bleeding!" Hitsugaya said, wide-eyed.

I looked at Minori. She is bleeding. Not a very deep wound, but it cut her shoulder, and she is having difficulty raising her sword.

Kenpachi laughed. "Anymore tricks up your sleeves, shinigami? Because I am getting bored."

He gripped his sword tightly, and charged towards Minori. Minori still looks lost in her thoughts. What is she thinking? If she doesn't make a move now, she's going to lose.

"Skye! Move! Raise your sword! Do you want to die?" Renji shouted.

He is supporting her? That's news to me. He barely know her. But then again, so do I. Usually, I would not care about such fight. But why am I anticipating her to win? She seems so powerful yet vulnerable.

"Look, taicho! She's pointing her sword at Kenpachi taicho! She is…she is…why is the tip of her sword shining with blue light? She's not really going to blind us again, is she?" Renji enquired.

I did not bother to reply. What is she planning now? The blue light…it looks like it is gathering energy…what is it?

Kenpachi is now within fighting range. Minori spoke to her sword, and immediately, the blue light shoot out from the tip of her sword and aimed at Kenpachi. It is so damn fast, that all I could catch is a glimpse of blue flashing forward. There is an outbreak of riatsu, almost comparable to Kenpachi's. I suspect that her riatsu is compressed in the form of the blue light, and it is suddenly released when the light shot out. Everyone was gasping. After I regained my posture, I realized that Minori's light passed through Kenpachi's left chest. There was silence. Minori looked calm, but her eyes were wavering. Kenpachi stared at her, trying to speak at the same time.

"What…did…did you…do…to me?" He gulped, and repeated. "What…is this?"

Ikkaku looked surprised. To be precise, the whole of 11th division looked surprised. I can hear them murmur. "This cannot be. Taicho will not be defeated so easily."

Minori shivered. After a few seconds, she explained, "_Aoi_. Its hot, isn't it? Your body feels like its burning, right? _Aoi_ contains my riatsu, compressed until it is just a beam of light. When I released it, _Aoi _emits my riatsu and aimed at you. At the instant when it hits you, _Aoi_ finally released all my riatsu into your body." She paused, and allowed the blue light which she called _Aoi_ to fade, before continuing. "What I am trying to say is that you do not die from my hit. It is my riatsu that is going to kill you. As my riatsu is released into your body, it infiltrates your cells, so each of your cells is slowly degenerating due to overexposure to light. That is why you feel like you are burning right now. You are slowly losing control over your own body. I am guessing that my riatsu has already spread to your left arm, so you are unable to move you left arm now."

Everyone is listening intently to her explanation. So this attack works like poison. Kenpachi can do nothing but await his death now. Minori's riatsu is destroying him from the inside. However, Kenpachi spent no time to digest her explanation, and continued asking her, "So you haven't told me why I am going to die, shinigami."

Minori looked like she is the one who is in pain. She twitched everytime Kenpachi mentions that he is going to die. "You will die when the cells in your heart stopped working. My riatsu only infiltrates your heart cells last. I know this is cruel…I am really sorry."

Kenpachi laughed. "Do not apologise during battles, shinigami. You are supposed to kill your enemy, idiot. Anyway, I went easy on you today. But you sure have the power. Thank you, and if I ever have the opportunity to fight you again, watch out, because you will not win me twice."

As Kenpachi spoke, he fell to the ground. Minori's riatsu spreads fast.

Minori gave him a weak smile. "I'm afraid that you will not have the opportunity to fight me again though. I do not wish to fight you."

She grabbed her sword and walked to Kenpachi. I was shocked when I saw Minori's next move. In fact, everyone was shocked.

"What the heck does she think she is doing?" Hitsugaya said.

Minori was pointing her sword at Kenpachi's chest, who was already dying. Kenpachi managed to cough out a laugh. "Do you want to speed up my death so that I can at least die peacefully? Haha. What is your name, shinigami?"

"Stop it!" Ikkaku shouted. "What do you think you are doing? You already defeated him!"

Minori looked at him. "Idiot, I am going to…"

"WHAT? SO YOU CAN KILL KENPACHI TAICHO IN PEACE?"

"SKYE! STOP IT! KEEP YOUR SWORD!" Renji shouted beside me.

Minori hesitated. Her face paled.

"You have to stop her. You are her taicho." Hitsugaya looked at me expectantly.

He's right. It is my responsibility. "Minori, stop right now. Sheath your sword."

MInori stared at me. Her stare is so uncomfortable, but she doesn't seem to be moving. Other captains are also waiting for me to respond.

"Minori, leave now. Or I am going to take action." I repeated firmly. However, her stare revealed that she didn't hear what I said at all.

I had to draw my sword. "Stand back." I commanded, before saying "Senbonzakura. Shatter."

**Skye's POV**

"Senbonzakura. Scatter."

I suddenly came back to the real world. I was lost in my memories a while ago, when everyone thought I was going to kill Kenpachi. The blaming, the accusations. It brought back memories. Is it really my fault? Am I really the one to blame? I stood there as Byakuya taicho's sword came raining down on me. Perhaps I deserve this.

I didn't feel anything as Byakuya's sword cut through my body. But after a few seconds, I feel pain. Ah, pain. I am glad. It shows that I'm alive.

Silence. Everyone stared at me after Byakuya's attack. I must look like a mess. With blood dripping everywhere. I could have defended myself, but I didn't. Why? _Why, Kara? Why?_

I feel dizzy and my body is numb after the loss of blood. Renji is speaking to me, but I can't hear him. With my last effort, I plunged my sword into Kenpachi's chest, to everyone's horror. I saw Byakuya taicho appear before me, with his sword pointed to my neck. I tried explaining myself as loudly as possible to the 11th division, hoping they can hear me, and I blacked out.

**Byakuya's POV**

I watched as my sword cuts through her body. She remained emotionless for a moment for covering her bloody hand on her stomach. That is a very direct attack, with her power, she should have been able to dodge it. But she took the full blow of the attack, I had not expected that. She managed to surprise me yet again.

Renji gulped, "Skye…"

Everyone anticipates her next move. And she surprised me. Again. ignoring her agonizing pain, she forced herself to raise her sword and plunged it into Kenpachi's chest. Ikkaku gasped. Yachiru frowned, "Ken chan…"

The situation is getting out of control. I flash stepped towards her and pointed my sword at her neck, ready to kill her. At this instant, I feel nauseous. My heart and my mind is telling me not to hurt her, but my actions proved otherwise. What is this feeling?

Minori glanced at me before coughing out blood, and she spoke, "If you are going to kill me, please do that after I healed Kenpachi taicho's wounds."

I frowned. What is she talking about?

"You are killing him, not saving him, maniac! You just killed him!" Ikkaku shouted.

As he speak, Minori's sword shined, emitting a green light.

Skye smiled. "No. My sword is healing him. My riatsu in Kenpachi taicho's body cannot be healed by the 4th division. It will just repel all their efforts. My riatsu, the injuries that I cause, can only be healed by me. By injecting my riatsu into him, I am neutralizing my own attacks."

As Minori take out her sword slowly, the green light faded and the wound on Kenpachi's chest that she inflicted is healing.

Unohana frowned. "Is that possible?" Other shinigamis uttered, "Wow…"

A minute later, Minori's sword left Kenpachi's body completely. She dropped her sword.

Yachiru rushed to Kenpachi's side. "Ken chan! You are not dead!" She smiled and tilted her head at Minori. "Thank you shinigami! You saved Ken chan! Oh, and don't die, please. Ken chan will wanna fight will you again!"

I glanced at her, not keeping my sword. "So you can heal too?"

She doesn't look like she's heard me. She closed her eyes and smiled, "I'm Skye. Please call me Skye." And then she fainted.


	2. Chapter 2: Forgetting

**I just realised how hard it is to put what I think into words...and i keep complicating stuff...so it took me a lot of effort to write this chapter. Anyw, enjoy. =.= r/r**

**disclaimer: I do not own naruto  
_**

**Skye's POV**

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was the white ceiling. Then I heard a voice. "You are finally awake. You have been unconscious for a week, you know that?"

I allowed my eyes to adjust to the light before I turned my head and saw Unohana taicho. "One week? Ouch. What's these?"

"Don't move. You need rest. Apparently, after your fight with Kenpachi, you have become quite famous in soul society. So these flowers and chocolates are given to you by your 'fans'."

I allow myself to digest these information as Unohana taicho leave the room. "Skye! You are awake! I have to come and see you almost everyday to pass you these chocolates!" I turned my head to see Renji smirking at me. "So when are you gonna be discharged? It's not like I missed you, but there are tons of paperwork and I need some help!"

"I'm fine. I can leave now. It's just minor injury. Let's go now." I replied, getting up and grabbing my sword. Without saying a word, I flashstepped away. I needed some fresh air and a quiet place alone to think.

I came to a stop at the fields of seirentei. This place looks so close to the sky. Unconsciously, I reached out my right hand and tried to touch the sky.

"Beautiful, huh. What ya doing here, Skye chan? Ya look pretty fine now compared to one week ago, aren't ya."

I tilted my head as I glimpsed at the person. Silvered hear, fox-like smile, slender figure…no other than…"Umm, sorry you are?"

"Ya don't remember me? I'm da 3rd division taicho…" "Ichimaru Gin!" I finished his sentence. You are disrupting me, Ichimaru. I thought.

"I see ya know my name!" He paused and gave me his trademark grin. "But ya still don't remember me, don't ya?"

"Umm…I just had a proper conversation with you, like 5 seconds ago, so why would I remember you?" I stared at him more closely, confused.

He smiled even wider. "Oh well, I guess ya really don't remember me. See ya then, sora chan!" With that, he vanished.

I almost lost my balance. Sora chan? He called me _sora chan_? Only one person calls me that, and that's…years ago. Is that male shinigami who saved me from the hollow called Gin too? If I'm not wrong, Ichimaru Gin. ICHIMARU GIN! He's my…my…he's someone I'm indebted to. How can I forget him?

He saved me from the hollow that killed Taeda. I was weak, Taeda was killed by that monster to protect me. My head is swirling as shards of memories that I feverishly struggled to keep lock in a cage come lashing out. I was badly injured by the time Ichimaru saved me. I stayed with him for one month before my sister, Kara found me.

I was reminiscing while walking at the same time that I didn't realize I actually bumped into someone. All I saw was a flash of red before I was grabbed and being flashstepped away.

"Hey put me down Renji!" I yelled. "What the hell…"

As I was complaining, he suddenly came to an abrupt stop. "You should be more alert Skye, and what's with your-"

I yanked my arm away from him before barging into the room. "You interrupted my trial of thoughts, idiot. Now where the hell am I? You-"

What the hell? I stare wide eyed at Byakuya Kuchiki. Before my mind register what is going on, I screeched. "Why are you here?" I pointed to Byakuya, before realizing my mistake and mentally slapped myself. "I mean…Umm…Byakuya taicho, nice to see you." I bowed. I feel like dying of embarrassment. I can hear Renji trying to stifle laughter.

"This is the 6th division headquarters. And Unohana taicho have informed me that you ran off from her ward without permission. Explain yourself." Byakuya didn't even look at me when he speaks. I gave a death glare to Renji before trying to come up with an explanation.

"Go back and apologise to Unohana taicho. When you are able to presume your duties, I want you to be in charge of the 6th division. Renji and I will be going to the human world. You are dismissed."

"Ha..hai." Me? In charge? I motioned Renji to follow me as I exit the office.

"I am gonna kill you when you get back, you bitch. I was almost killed by his calmness just now!" I growled. "Why are you going to the human world?"

Renji laughed casually. "Your attitude really changed a lot after you woke up just now. I like you better like that though. Don't get too cocky just because you beat Kenpachi. He's just going easy on you. I heard that Rukia gave her shinigami powers to a human during her mission to the human world, so Byakuya and me are gonna find her. See ya."

So I changed huh. I guess I concealed this devilish part of me ever since Kara died. I told myself that I don't deserve such happiness. I sighed. I am still as pathetic as ever.

**Byakuya's POV **

I was surprised when she came barging in and demanding my purpose in the 6th office. Her behaviour was so different from the one she exhibits one week ago. Nevertheless, I noticed her blush as she realized her mistake.

I heard every single word she uttered to Renji after they exited my office. So Renji noticed her changes too. Minori Skye. She is really a mystery.

It's been really a long time since I seriously thought about anyone, especially a girl. What is this feeling, I wonder.  
_

**Two weeks later**

**Skye's POV**

It's been two weeks since Byakuya taicho and Renji left. I made some good friends, especially with the 11th division. Kenpachi is nice in his own way, I guess. 10th division is not bad too. Hitsugaya taicho is fun to be with, and he reminds me of a certain someone. Oh well, he looks like a younger version of Taeda. The most important friend I made _again _is Ichimaru Gin. Though many shinigamis think that he is scary, I am grateful that there is at least someone from my past who remembers the real me.

I still concealed my true self, but with Ichimaru, I can be totally open. That's good, I guess. If I compress my feelings for too long, something inside me may snap.

"Skye chan! I heard from Kenpachi taicho that Renji is coming back today! Lets have a race to see who reaches the West gate and greets him first!" Ikkaku exclaimed.

"No. I have work to do." I replied.

"Come on. Yumichika is participating too! The first one there gets to order the last one to do one thing for them. Come to think of it, you still own us a favor after we retrieved the paperwork that you have accidentally lost." Ikkaku winked.

I grumbled. "Fine. Whatever. But you do know that I will…"

"Ha! Don't be too confident. Who can predict the results before the competition starts? Anyway, Yumichika, Skye chan, the race starts…NOW!" And both of them flashstepped away.

"Sheesh. Who said that I cannot predict?" I smirked.

I took my time to get back to the 6th division and leave the paperwork there. "This is irritating…" I whispered. With that, I flashstepped to the West gate. At the speed of light.

"Renji. Rukia chan." I stopped ten centimeters away from Renji. "Byakuya taicho." I bowed slightly as I said that. But as usual, he just glanced at me.

"Skye! What are you doing here! And don't stand too close to me, idiot." Renji jumped away from me, slightly blushing.

I ignored him and said, "Where's Ikkaku and Yumichika?"

Rukia pointed to the two panting figures behind me. "There they are."

"Nice to see you, Renji! Skye Chan's fast! Ikkaku is last though, so what's he gonna do?" Yumichika laughed while trying to catch his breath.

"Just stop disturbing me. I am going back."

"You are causing a ruckus here. Go back to your divisions now. And Rukia, as a prisoner, you do not speak unless given the permission to do so." Byakuya suddenly spoke.

Rukia is a prisoner? I can't help but feel sorry for her. Even though we did not talk much, I consider her as a good friend. According to Unohana taicho, Rukia asked Renji to send flowers to me everyday when I was unconscious after fighting Kenpachi.

Rukia is his sister, and yet Byakuya treated her like that. I would have argued with Byakuya, but I have hid the 'real' me behind this façade for a long time now. I am no longer the reckless Skye. I could only pray silently that nothing would happen to Rukia.

I gave a sympathetic smile to Rukia before looking coldly at Byakuya. "Please excuse me then, Byakuya taicho. See you later, Rukia chan!"

**The next day…**

"Hey Skye, taicho is finding you. Need help with paperwork, I think." Renji waved at me.

"What are you doing then?" I grumbled.

He chuckled. "teaching kidos."

I silently cursed as I made my way to Byakuya taicho's office. Still not used to being too formal, I pushed the door gently and poked my head inside. "Taicho, you called for me?"

"I need your help to do the paperwork today, since Renji is supposed to train the 6th division." Byakuya pointed to the thick stack of paperwork on his table. "Classify these information according to dates and difficulty level. I need to sign them afterwards. You may start now."

I grabbed a seat opposite of Byakuya and started on the boring and tedious paperwork. For a while, its silent. I stole a glance at Byakuya. He is concentrating on his work and doesn't seem to notice me at all. He is definitely a workaholic. I really want to figure him out, understand him; the real him behind the façade he puts on. Not to mention he is hot.

I signed and glanced at him again. He is still lost in the world of paperwork. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes to wake myself, but soon, I started to dose off again. A sharp pain woke me up. "Aww…"I mumbled as a rubbed my head. My hands must have slipped and my head just naturally hit the table.

"You should focus on your task, Minori. I need this by four in the afternoon." Byakuya finally regarded me.

The 'real' me wanted to blurt out "splash water on me then, idiot.", but I suppressed my irritation by saying, "Hai."

I forced myself to continue the task without arguing. I stole glances at Byakuya every few minutes. I know a thing or two about pretending to be someone you are not, but how could he look so calm and focused for so long?

"Do you feel hot?"

"Eh?" I looked up, surprised that he actually talked to me about something other than work. "Not really. Why?" I touched my forehead, I'm not sweating.

"I see. Your face is red." He stopped writing and looked into my eyes. "Perhaps its just my imagination."

Shocked, I touched my cheek. What? Why is my face red? My cheek does feel hot now that he mentions it, and it is getting hotter by the second. Wha…I…I am blushing? Realizing the reason behind this, my cheeks became redder. Now it feels like its burning. "Sheesh what the hell. Why am I…Byakuya? Because of him? This is ridiculous! Oh no he better not find out ab…"

"Find out about what?"

I almost jumped out of my seat. He is still staring at me. I just spoke my thoughts out? I can just die right this instant. This is Byakuya I am talking about, not some random taicho, but Byakuya taicho! _Calm down. You need to calm down and breathe, Skye. Hide your emotions. You can definitely face him if you are THE Minori Skye. _I talked myself out of it before I am completely freaked out.

"I was just talking to myself. Sorry if I bothered you, Byakuya taicho." I forced a small smile on my face.

**Byakuya's POV **

I can't help but stare at her. Even though I know the smile she showed on her face is strained, I can't possibly ignore the fact that she is beautiful. And she looks even cuter when she is trying to hide the fact that her face is red. Come to think of it, Hisana used to turn red too when I stared at her.

"_Why are you red, Hisana?" _

"_Ano...I'm blushing, Byakuya sama." She smiled and tried to hide her face. _

_After a long silence she looked up at me again. "Please do not stare at me, Byakuya sama. My face is burning already." _

"_Are my stares causing you to blush so madly, Hisana?" _

"_H…Hai. I can't help feeling attracted to you when you stare at me so intently. Don't you know what your stares do to others, Byakuya sama?"_

"_Others?" _

"_Ano…the female population. Especially those who have a crush on you." _

"_Really? Do you have a crush on me, Hisana?"_

_She stopped walking, surprised that I actually asked her that. "Of course, but that was so long ago. It's not called a crush anymore when we are married, Byakuya sama. It's called love." _

So Minori is blushing because I am staring at her. However I do see that she is trying to hide it and concentrate on her work. I know that she tries hard to keep her large brown eyes void of emotions, but I can still see the confusion in them. It takes a lot of practice to become calm and composed in any situation, like me. What is she hiding?

"Taicho. Is there something on my face?"

Her voice broke my trial of thoughts. "No. Why do you ask, Minori?"

It seems that I talk more when I am with her. "You are staring at me, taicho."

"I see." I grabbed my pen and continued working. Nevertheless, my mind keeps drifting off to Minori. What kind of person is she really? Her presence is truly intriguing.

**Later that evening. **

After finishing the paperwork, I realized that it was already past eight. Minori already left one hour ago. I should be heading home now but I feel like I should stay a bit longer. There's no one at home waiting for me anyway. I made my way to the roof top of the 6th division. I would sometimes go there and just look and sereitei. There, it was peaceful and quiet.

As I set my foot on the roof top, I closed my eyes and inhaled to the wind that is gushing by. I feel refreshed instantly. Then I frozed. Because someone else is here, on the rooftop.

**Skye's POV**  
After what seems like forever, Byakuya finally dismissed me, not before asking me to pass some paperwork to the 3rd division. Reluctantly, I dragged my leg there. The 3rd division seems quiet. Has everyone gone home? _What the hell, so I came here for nothing? _I cursed in my mind.

"Skye chan! Wha' ya doing here?"

"I turned my head. "Ichimaru! Ahh…I mean Ichimaru taicho, nice to see you. Where is everyone else?"

"No need ta be so formal, sora chan." He flashed his trademark grin at me. "I released 'em early today!"

"Hey! Its Skye! Stop giving me weird names…Oh well…" His presence brought complicated feelings to me. Just after I dealt with Byakuya and my blush…argh…me and my feelings…But I am happy that he's here. Because he's the only one in sereitei who knew the real me. However, I also wished that he's not here, because I can't help thinking about the past when I see him. It's like he's dragging me behind, preventing me from moving forward. Besides that, I feel really awkward talking to him. Not that I don't enjoy his company, but just that I don't want us to talk about the past. So basically, I have no idea how I feel about him. I guess I'm just glad that we get to see each other. After all, he's quite close to me at one point of my life. "Uhh…there, Byakuya taicho wanted me to pass you these." I handed him the pile of paperwork.

"So uhh…I guess I'll see you again, Ichimaru…taicho." Remembering his position at the end. He's still a captain, no matter what. I bowed to him and hurriedly flash stepped away.

I was walking and deep into my thoughts when he appeared beside me all of a sudden. "Skye chan. Where ya going?"

"You almost gave me a heart attack, idiot!" I shrieked before composing myself. "I thought you are still working, Ichimaru taicho."

"told ya to drop da_ taicho_. I just went to put the paperwork ya gave me 'fore catching up to ya." He stopped walking suddenly. "Are ya going home?"

"Its late. Why?"

"Nottin. Come on." He grabbed my hand and before I can register, he pulled me into his arms and flashstepped away.

"What are you doing? If you want me to go somewhere just tell me."

"Aww come on, Skye chan. It's more fun this way." All of a sudden, he stopped.

"Hey I almost fell! What's your problem anyway?" I said angrily as the inertia almost made me fall flat on the ground. "So where are we?"

"On the roof top."

"Why did you stop?" I asked, holding on to his arm so that I don't collapse due to dizziness.

"ya asked meh to."

"Your answers are nonsensical, do you know that, Gin?" I glared at him. "Now I think I'm lost. All buildings look the same, especially when its dark."

"Come on, don't be so pissed. Don't ya recognize your own division, Skye chan? Tsk tsk, ya haven't been to the roof top of the 6th division, have ya?" Ichimaru opened his eyes slightly to reveal his red orbs.

I froze. "What? We're at the 6th division?" I whispered. My heart started beating faster. I did not want to be here at all. It only reminded me of this afternoon.

"Aww…you're blushing, Skye chan. Don't ya wanna be here? Oh and look, there's your captain!" Ichimaru whispered the last sentence into my ear, causing me to shudder.

**Byakuya's POV**

I stared at the two shadows standing in the moonlight? Who would come to the 6th division at night? I walked towards them. And standing in front of me, is Minori Skye grabbing onto Ichimaru Gin's arms, with his lips at her ear, and they seem very _very _comfortable in that position.

Ichimaru, who probably sensed my presence long ago, broke the silence by acknowledging me. "Ahh…Byakuaya. Nice to see ya. We're just enjoyin' a moment of peace an' quiet. Well, I shall return your officer to ya now." He finally let go of Minori, who now look like she's seen a ghost after realizing I'm here.

"Skye chan, why don't ya spend a lil' time with ya captain. I needa go now."

"I do not need her to spend time with me, Ichimaru. I am going home." I calmly stated, even though my mind is filled with questions. What are they doing? Do they have a relationship?

"Don't be so cruel, Byakuya. Ya needa treat ya officers with more care. Skye chan?" He turned back and looked at her. Minori looks so shocked that she just stood there, not responding. Gin patted her head and said, "Sora chan, I'll see ya tomorrow!"

She finally snapped back to reality as she retorted, "What did I say? Never ever call me sora chan. You just stepped out of the line, Gin."

"I was just waking ya, Skye chan. I'm going now, have fun with ya captain! See ya, Byakuya!" With that, he disappeared, leaving Minori gaping at his sudden disappearance. I stared at her. They must have some kind of special relationship, or Minori wouldn't have called him _Gin_. She seems so much at ease with him. I knew it when I heard her retorting back. So she's not as aloof as I think. I can't help but feel angry at Ichimaru for being so close to Minori. But I decided to put my feelings aside and see how Minori reacts.

**Skye's POV**

I gulped. I'm alone with him now. I know I'm blushing madly for some unknown reason. This is so embarrassing. Being caught in the act by none another than Byakuya, even though there's nothing going on between me and Ichimaru. How am I going to explain myself? _Calm down, there's nothing to be afraid of._ I told myself mentally. _Hide your emotions now._

"Ano…Byakuya taicho, I apologise for the…uhh…my actions just now. I shall head back home now." I bowed to him before walking away.

"Stop."

My heart pumped even faster. _He's going to punish me. He's going to punish me. He's going to_…I felt his presence beside me. Slowly and carefully, I lifted my head and tilted left. "Taicho…"

"It's really nice today, isn't it? It's breezy and the moon is at its peak." He stared straight ahead.

"H…Hai." I nodded, looking at him with unbelievable eyes. He's talking to me about something that's not work. He doesn't look like he's going to punish me. Byakuya is talking to me! My heart skipped a beat. I feel happy that he's actually talking to me, considering his cold attitude towards everyone.

"What are you doing here so late at night?" Byakuya continued.

"Ichimaru taicho brought me here without warning, I'm afraid."

"I see. You look quite close to Ichimaru." He looked at me. "I'm amazed at your behavior when you are with him."

Oh shit. Why must he comment on that? I bit my lips and stole a glance at him. Obviously he's expecting me to answer his doubts. After confirming that he's not going to back down when he's still looking at me after one minute, I timidly replied, "I was close to Ichimaru taicho before I became a shinigami."

I raised my head. I don't really want to talk about my past, but my mouth just unconsciously spoke out things that I shouldn't have. "He saved me…years ago."

My eyes connected with his. Though his eyes showed no emotions, I can see the confusion lingering deep inside the pools of black. My past is really intriguing, isn't it? I don't like to tell my past to people because all they do is feel pity and glad at the same time that such unfortunate events did not happen to them. I do not want their compassion. I just want someone to smile at me and say, "Let's move on together." However, with Byakuya, I do not feel the need to hide my past. I can see it clearly in his eyes. He's been through countless conflicts in his heart too. He had a tainted past, just like me. Only people who are hurt so badly would conceal their emotions, for fear of being exposed to the truth.

"Renji gave me your profile information shortly after you arrived. Your past is totally blank. There's nothing written on it." He said without breaking eye contact with me. I can feel the atmosphere getting more intense. My cheeks continued to blush.

I smiled forcefully. "I want to forget about it. I want to start anew and move on without regrets."

"You can't." He replied almost instantly.

I narrowed my eyes. "I am trying to."

"You can't forget. That's why you concealed your feelings. Am I wrong?"

"I bit my lips. "I am not concealing my feelings. This is who I am." I replied hastily. Of course, he saw through me. My lie doesn't even sound convincing to me.

"You don't what to be who you were in the past, that's why you try to change. But you are yourself again when you're with Ichimaru." His stare is piercing into my heart. Looks like he hit the jackpot. I felt angry at him all of a sudden. He understands how I feel, and yet he is trying to expose me.

"Why does it matter to you? I can handle my own matters." My voice hardened.

"Why indeed."

I stiffened. "You are doing that too. Concealing your feelings."

His eyes widened a bit before he put on a calm composure again. I guess he didn't expect me to retort back. He broke the eye contact and stared once again at the sky.

After ten minutes of silence, I looked at Byakuya again. He doesn't look like he's going to say anything anymore. "Uhh..it's late, I think I should go now. See you tomorrow, Byakuya taicho."

It was only when another gush of wind blew by did I hear what he said to me. _Forgetting is as painful as remembering._

**thanks for reading:) please give me suggestions!**


	3. Chapter 3: Twisted

**Finally. This chapter is finished. I'm was sick and very busy choosing schools...so yup, I'm glad i finished the chapter. **

**Black Cat Angel: Thank you soo much for the review! It really motivates me to write...I'm glad you like the story:) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, or else Gin would be living happily now.  
_**

**Skye**

I adjusted my feelings as I make my way to the squad. I still remember vividly the conversation I had with Byakuya yesterday. I shouldn't have been so impolite. But at the same time, I am happy to have such a conversation with THE Byakuya.

"Skye! Sheesh, you're late today."

"…."

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" He shouted. "You are supposed to train the squad today."

"Where do I meet them?" I asked.

"At the training grounds."

As I walked there, I saw the members chatting casually. Everyone was in a carefree mood until they saw me. They stopped speaking and just stared at me. Feeling uncomfortable with all eyes on me, I broke the silence by greeting them.

"Good morning. I'm going to be training you today."

None of them spoke. They all look nervous. After a while, one of them asked me. "Ano…where is Renji? He's…usually the one training us."

"I don't know. He just asked me to train you guys today. I'm following his orders."

More stares. I guess they are scared of me. Or maybe they are scared of my powers. Either way, they do not look happy to know that I'll be training them.

All of a sudden, one member walked towards me and said to me coldly, "We will train under you today. But don't expect us to accept you. I know you became a seated officer without graduating, and that you beat Kenpachi taicho, but he was just going easy on you that day. He didn't even release more of his reiatsu. So don't be proud of your achievements. For all we know, you may have become a 3rd seat because of your family. Hn."

I was taken aback by his sudden rudeness. Not knowing what to say, I lowered my head. How could he say that my family was the reason I'm here. He doesn't know anything. This idiot, I want to kill him with my zanpakuto now.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be training them?"

I squeaked, pulled out my zanpakuto and pointed it at the person. I immediately regretted it. Standing right in front of me is Byakuya Kuchiki, and he does not look happy about the fact that my sword is pointing at his nose. All the members behind me gulped. But I'm sure most of them are hoping more than anything that Byakuya will kill me.

"Is this how you greet your captain, Minori?"

"My deepest apologies, Byakuya taicho." I immediately sheathed my sword and bowed.

Ignoring me again, he walked past me towards the cowering members and said emotionlessly, "Minori will be training you from now on. I want you all to respect her. Those who show disrespect to your sensei will be punished. Start your training immediately."

With that, he left, not giving me another glance. Relieved, I asked my squad to stand in rows and warm up. After that, I instructed them to pair up and try to block the attacks. I leaned against the tree as I monitor their practice.

"Skye chan! Din't know ya in charge of training ya members!" Gin walked beside me. After the incident yesterday, I don't know whether I should be excited to see him.

"What are you doing here, Ichimaru taicho?" My voice void of emotions.

"Ya seem cold t'day. Aren't ya happy to see meh? Don't needa be too formal to meh, Skye chan!" He grabbed my chin and turned my face to face him.

I slapped his hands away. "It's not polite to go touching other shinigami you barely know, Ichimaru taicho."

"Tsk tsk. Come on, I know ya for a long time now." Gin grinned at me. "I see ya still angry at meh fer leaving ya behind yesterday, huh."

"Hn. You caused quite a scene yesterday, Ichimaru taicho. Don't think that I'll forgive so easily."

"Al'right. How're ya?"

"What do you want, Gin? Shouldn't you be working?" I asked, irritated by his presence.

"I just took care of some troublemakers tryin' to enter through de west gate, so I decided ta visit ya."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I decided to ignore him from now on.

"Ya wanna meet meh tonight, Skye chan? I promise I won't run away 'his time." Ichimaru bent down and whispered in my ear. My head is screaming. _This is wrong! He shouldn't do that!_

"Move away from me." I whispered back, my body too weak to move on its own.

I can feel him smirk. "Why do ya wan meh to move?"

"You're too close." I whispered. My cheeks are burning. "Gin." I pleaded.

"So are ya meeting meh tonight?"

I saw Byakuya walking towards the training grounds, surveying the situation. My eyes widened. Then he saw me - with Ichimaru whispering in my ear. Even though he's at quite a distance, I can see his frown. I froze.

"Gin. Please."

"Hmm?"

"Please. He's here." I barely managed to say the last sentence.

Gin smirked again before standing straight again. "Ya still as tense as b'fore, Skye chan. I'm just messin' with ya. I'll go now, b'fore ya get into trouble again!" He disappeared before I can protest.

Byakuya talked to a member before leaving again. I signed, relieved that he disregarded me.

After another hour, I conclude the training. "That's all today. You've worked hard. Thanks for your cooperation."

"Ano…Skye sensei." I turned around. "Byakuya taicho wants to see you after the training."

**Byakuya**

I can't believe my eyes. They are doing it again. Whispering like a couple. What irritated me the most was the fact that the guy is Ichimaru. They are still being affectionate in public despite the fact that I caught them yesterday. Ichimaru Gin is starting to get on my nerves. So what if they had a past? Didn't she say that she wanted to forget about it? But why does it matter to me what she does? I quickly eased my frown and walked away, but not before ordering one member to ask Minori to report to me after the training.

I couldn't concentrate on my work. I was reading the information blindly while thinking about what I saw just now. I just couldn't get it out of my head. Minori is just another female shinigami in seireitei, so why am I more concerned about her matters? She doesn't mean anything to me, so why am I thinking about her now?

"_Byakuya sama, you're back!" Hisana rushed in to hug me. "I'm so worried!"_

"_There's no need for you to worry, Hisana. You know that I will be save." _

"_I thought that you're not coming home today. I missed you." _

"_You missed me?" _

"_Hai. I kept thinking of you. I can't even sleep!" _

"_You need to take better care of yourself, Hisana. You need plenty of rest. Thinking of me will not make you feel better." _

"_But it DOES make me feel better, Byakuya sama."_

_I raised my eyebrows. _

"_It's true! That's why I'm thinking about you all day."_

"_You're thinking of me because the thought of me makes you feel better?" I looked at her incredulously. _

"_No. I'm thinking of you because I love you."_

I clenched my fists. No, it can't be. Hisana, you can't be speaking the truth. If not, that means that I…

**Skye**

"Explain yourself."

"What?" I raised my head, only to see his slate grey eyes piercing through me.

"What are you supposed to do today?" He asked me curtly.

"Train the members."

"And what did you actually do?"

"I train them? I asked them to practice on defensive swings." I said, confused.

"You did? I saw you doing something else when I randomly inspected the training." He stood up, still maintaining eye contact with me.

So this is where it is going. What is wrong with him? I can understand that he is apathetic and cold towards people, but what does he gain by questioning me like that? Just go straight to the point!

"I apologize for having the conversation with Ichimaru taicho when I was supposed to be training the members." I said with menace.

Byakuya looked at me with amusement in his eyes. "I do not care about your relationship with Ichimaru as long as you focus on your task and refrain from being intimidate in public."

"WHAT? What is that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily.

"I am your captain." He said simply.

With that, I exploded. "I AM NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GIN! AND DEFINITELY NOT AN INTIMIDATE ONE. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU BEING MY CAPTAIN. YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN."

I breathed heavily. Wow. I actually vented my anger on my captain without holding back at all. And I cursed in front of him. I feel a little guilty, but I am not sorry. I don't care about what he thinks of me anymore.

Byakuya, after witnessing my outburst of anger directed at him, frowned slightly at me. And that's when I see it. The faint amusement mixed with a little bit of anger lingering in his eyes. Emotions. Byakuya is showing some emotions! My heart skipped a beat.

"Taicho! I just…" Renji entered the office without acknowledgement, stopping a few steps in front of me. "Sorry, I will report later then." He glanced at me, slightly surprised that I showed any emotions and snickered.

Then, just as quickly as it comes, the emotions faded. Byakuya turned his gaze at Renji. "What is it?"

"I just escorted the transfer of Rukia Kuchiki our holding cell to the Senzaikyu."

"She what?" I turned around.

Renji rolled his eyes at me. "I just said that Rukia…"

"I understand. Both of you may leave now." Byakuya interrupted me.

Rukia. "But that means that she…"

"Did you not hear what I say? You can have your meaningless conversations outside." Byakuya repeated firmly, silently daring me to say otherwise.

She is his sister! Rukia is his sister! How could he be so coldblooded? "THAT MEANS THAT SHE WILL DIE!" I shouted, losing my temper for the second time this day. "WHAT DID SHE DO TO DESERVE THIS?"

"She is charged with 'unauthorized lending of shinigami powers' and 'late return'. She is going to be executed 25 days later using the soukyoku." Renji said quietly.

My eyes widened. I covered my mouth with my hand. I blanked out. Rukia is going to die in 25 days. I didn't know that. And I didn't even get to have a proper conversation with her. I tried to speak, but no words came. I already lost two people closest to me before, and even though I am not close to Rukia, I feel a strong connection towards her. I want to know her. I want to be her friend. I want…

"Uhh…Skye.." Renji touched my shoulder lightly.

"…"

"Uhh…you are crying?" He whispered, clearly uncomfortable telling me that.

I touched my cheeks. It's wet. All thanks to Byakuya, now I am totally exposed. Naked. Bare. Well, no use trying to cover that up now.

"I want to see Rukia." I said, ignoring Renji's comment.

Byakuya's voice hardened. "You may not. As a prisoner locked up in the Senzaikyu, she had committed a serious crime, hence you are not allowed to visit her. This is the last time I am saying this, leave."

"She is your sister." My voice is shaking as I pleaded to him. I don't know what else to do. This is the first time I appear vulnerable in Seireitei.

Apparently, Renji wasn't comfortable with my 'conversation' with Byakuya, as he shook me lightly on the shoulder, trying to gain my attention as he said, "Uhh Skye, why don't you clean up first? Let's go." He pulled me towards the door. "Come on."

"Clean up?" I looked up at Renji, remembering his existence. "I'm perfectly fine. Leave me alone; can't you see that I'm making a request?"

"You are still uhh…crying. So go wash up." Renji mumbled, pointing to my tear stricken face as he pulled me harder.

"Your request is denied. Without my permission, you may not visit Rukia." Byakuya sat down and continued his paperwork.

I pushed Renji away as straightened my Shinigami robes. "So what if I'm crying? The sky is crying too." I took one last look at Byakuya before leaving his office.

Outside, the rain droplets begin to fall.

**Byakuya**

"So what if I'm crying? The sky is crying too." Skye stalked out of my office with Renji following closely behind her.

I turned around to face the window. Indeed, it's raining. I don't want her to cry. It took all of my willpower not to rush next to Skye and comfort her just now. _I'm sorry._ I said silently in my heart.

**Skye**

"Skye, hey, are you alright?" Renji asked as he tried to keep up with my fast pace.

I stopped abruptly and used the back of my hands to wipe away my half-dried tears. "There. Are you happy now?"

"Yeah…Listen…"

"I want to see her." I said stubbornly.

Renji fidgeted, as if contemplating something. "Skye, give up. You can't save her. You can't see her. Just live with it."

I whirled around. "Are you her friend?"

"We were good friends. We grow up together in Inuzuri." Renji stated. "But…listen. I don't want her to die too, but there's nothing I can do. This is sentenced by the central 46. Their orders are absolute. I didn't know you were friends with Rukia."

"I need to see her." I said firmly.

"Since you need a captain's permission and Byakuya will not allow you to see her, I guess there's nothing…"

"Captain's permission?" I interrupted, an idea floating in my mind.

"Yeah. But Byakuya…"

I cut him off impatiently. "Who says I must ask Byakuya? There are 13 captains in Seireitei."

Renji raised his eyebrows. "You are not thinking of asking…oh this is a bad idea." He scratched his head. "Even if you succeed, do you know what will happen when Byakuya finds out? Urgh…"

"Then help me cover up as much as possible." I looked at him. "She's your friend too, Renji." Without hearing his response, I flash stepped to the 3rd division.

"Where's your captain?" I asked Kira.

"Oh Minori san." Kira looked up from his paperwork. "You sound strange today."

I am not going hide my irritation. Let them see my true colors then. I can't be bothered to look calm and composed when Rukia is about to die. "Don't call me that. I'm Skye."

"Minori is part of your name too. Are you alright?"

"I decide what I will be called, so don't you ever call me Minori again. Where is Gin?" I snapped.

"You mean Ichimaru taicho. He's…"

"Skye chan! What brings ya here in the 3rd division? My my, ya wet! "

I turned around. "Where were you? I want to talk to you. Alone." I glanced at Kira. He bowed to Ichimaru before closing the door behind him.

"There were troublemakers in the west gate. I went ta take care of them. So what ya wanna talk to me about?" Gin showed me his wide mocking smile. "Ya don't seem to be in a good mood t'day."

"I need your help. I want to see Rukia Kuchiki." I said, shifting my feet uneasily. Would he help me?

He opened his eyes, and I caught a glimpse of his sky blue eyes. "Ya wanna see the Kuchiki girl?"

I nodded. "She is transferred to the Senzaikyu just now. I need a captain's permission to see her, so...please."

"Ya want my permission then." Ichimaru's smile widened. "Ya should ask ya own captain, Skye chan."

I groaned. "Byakuya's not going to approve. He doesn't even have a heart for his sister. And you are the only captain I'm close to. So please let me see her, Gin."

"Really? Since ya say that ya close ta me…so what'll I get as a reward?"

"What do you want?"

"I want ya."

My anger flared up again. "Ichimaru Gin, don't take advantage of this situation. I'm not joking. What do you want from me?"

"Am not joking. I want ya." He leaned against his desk. "Ya still mad at me fer disturbing ya t'day an' yesterday, aren't ya? I don't even get ta spend time with _someone close_."

I inhaled deeply. Although I don't hate him, Ichimaru is really getting on my nerves. Sometimes I really think that he's a sadist. "Why don't I give you a box of dried persimmons? Your persimmon trees can't bear fruit in this season." I said, thinking about the fruitless trees I saw around the 3rd division.

He seemed to be thinking about my suggestions. "Three boxes."

"Deal." I grabbed his hand as I walked past him. "Let's go now" I said before he changed his mind.

**Rukia**

Ichigo. He's coming.

"_Do you see that, Rukia? Through that window, Soukyoku. They'll be used for your execution." Renji said. _

"_You can stare at it for the rest of your days and think about the crimes you've committed. This is why this place is called a repent tower." One of the guards freed me. "Abarai futaicho, thank you for escorting us. Let us be on our way." _

"…"

"_Futaicho?" _

"_Listen to this." Renji grabbed my shoulders and whispered in my ear. "It's an unconfirmed report, but the other day, some trouble makers tried to break into soul society. They were a group of five…One of them was a shinigami with a sword as long as his height and had orange-colored hair."_

Why, Ichigo, why? Why did you risk your life coming here to save someone as worthless as me? I'm not worth saving.

"Kuchiki san, you have visitors." I sat up. Shit. Him. And he is all wet.

Skye

"Ichimaru Gin." I heard Rukia spat out the name as if there were poison in them.

"Ya never change, do ya? Still no manners at all. Tsk tsk. Ya should call meh Ichimaru taicho. If ya don't speak properly, ya'll get scolded again by ya onii san."

"…Please forgive my rudeness, Ichimaru taicho. May I ask, what brings you here?"

Before Ichimaru can reply, I moved out of his shadows and stood next to him, smiling at Rukia. "Rukia chan! Nice to see you again!"

Her face immediately softened after seeing my presence. "Ah. Minori san. Nice to see you too. What are you doing here?"

I waved my hand. "Just call me Skye. Well, I want to see you, considering we don't have much time left to interact….Gin!" I suddenly remember him. "Thanks for bringing me here. You can go now."

"I'm s'pposed to monitor ya talk, Skye chan. Ya really shouldn't be chasing me off after what I did fer ya."

I pulled at his haori. "I promised to give you something in return. We need privacy. Bye bye!"

Just then, a hell butterfly flew in. "Attention all captains! Attention all captains! Your presence is required for an emergency meeting."

I looked at Ichimaru expectantly. "That's for you, Gin. I can take care of myself."

"Well well. I'll see ya later then, Sora chan!"

"Stop it, Ichimaru!" I slammed the door at his face. Then, I turned to face Rukia. "Well then, now that we are at peace…Rukia chan!"

**Thanks for reading! reviews are always appreciated! I really wanted to make this chapter longer but I feel that it is better to end here...not like it's a cliffhanger or anything, so there's nothing to worry about. And I shall try my best to post the next chapter asap! 0.o **


	4. Chapter 4: Reminisce

**this time was fast. Thanks again to BellaLuz64 ****and all those who added this story to their favorites list/story alert. :) i'm really happy! **

******I'll try to update again soon, but no promises...it's going to get really busy when school starts...as usual, r/r**

******Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. **

_Recap _

"_Stop it, Ichimaru!" I slammed the door at his face. Then, I turned to face Rukia. "Well then, now that we are at peace…Rukia chan!" _

**Skye**

I hugged her tight, elated to see her. "Uhh Minori san…can't breathe…Minori san…"

"Oh I'm sorry. Call me Skye. I don't like people calling me Minori." I led her to sit down.

Rukia gave me a small smile. "Well then, why do you want to see me, Skye?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to talk to you." I said, holding her hands. "I really like you. And we haven't talked much since I arrived at Seireitei, so I figured that we could talk like normal friends and get to know each other before…you know…that happens."

Rukia nodded, overjoyed that I considered her as a friend, then she remembered her situation and looked down again.

"What's wrong? You can tell me, you know…that's what I'm here for."

Rukia hesitated before looking at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Skye…I am happy that you're here, but I can't help feeling sad…Not that you are making me sad, but the fact that I can't be your friend for long, I can't stay by your side after this…I just…I…It's my fault." She paused. "I want to prepare myself for the soukyoku. So that I will die beholden to nothing and nobody. I…I…I'm sorry. This whole thing…the execution, it's just so hard for me…and now befriending you…I am really really REALLY happy to know you, Skye. Anyway, thank you so much for thinking about me."

"Come on, I am the one indebted to you. You sent me flowers everyday when I was recovering."

She smiled and tilted her head. "You sound weird today, Skye. You seem…oddly emotional! I always thought that you are as emotionless as onii sama!"

"Really?" I chuckled. "Nah…I'm like this. This is the real me. The emotionless 'me' you see is just a façade I put on to prevent people from coming near me. But since you are my friend, I don't want to pretend to be anything in front of you."

"Why do you not let people into your heart? You just let me in, didn't you?" Rukia questioned.

I quieted. She's right. Why did I let her in, knowing that I'll be hurt once again when she dies? "I don't ever want to be hurt again. I may not survive if history repeats itself. But forget that, let's talk about something else. What do you usually do?"

"Usually do? I report to work in the morning, have lunch, sometimes train in the afternoon if there is no paperwork, and go home in the evening. That sort of sums up what I usually do." She admitted.

"Don't you do something interesting? Like partying with your friends, cooking, or something special?"

"Oh no." Rukia answered almost immediately. "Of course not. If I do something else other than my usual routine, I would have to report to onii sama first. Besides, onii sama and the elders seem to think that it's not fit for any member of the Kuchiki clan to enter the kitchen."

"I see. Do you like your brother?" I changed the topic quite abruptly.

"H…hai. I give him my gratitude for adopting me and –"

I cut her off. "Why did he adopt you?"

"I…well, I was told that I looked very similar to his deceases wife."

"Oh I remember. You told me that before."

We are silent for a while, enjoying each other's presence. "You know that onii sama will not let you off that easily when he finds out that you visited me." Rukia broke the silence.

I laughed dryly. "Let him punish me then. I'm doing his job for him. He's really a good brother." I said sarcastically.

Rukia nudged me. "Onii sama is not like that. I hope he's fine. He mentioned that I will not see him again until the execution day."

"I know. I can see that he's not what he seems to be. Byakuya may seem serene and apathetic towards people, but he is really conflicted deep down inside."

Rukia stared at me. "I know that because that's what I do too, but for different reasons, I believe. However, that does not mean that I forgive him. He has been a complete bastard towards me, making me angry and exposing me…my hate towards him is brewing. Hn."

Now, Rukia is completely shocked. I smirked. "Didn't expect me to curse, did you? I know you want to say that too. Byakuya is an idiot, not realizing that he has a perfect little sister."

Rukia blushed at my compliment. "Come on, just say it once. _Byakuya is an idiot._"

"…"

"Come on! He's not going to punish you anymore! If you think positively of this situation, you're free from Byakuya and the elders. You can say anything you want and no one is stopping you. Say it."

I can see a smile playing at her lips. "Really?"

I nodded, squeezing her hands to encourage her. Rukia took a deep breath. "B…Byakuya is an idiot."

For a second, we were silent. Then, Rukia burst into laughter, followed by me. It does sound strange, for something like that to come out from Rukia's mouth.

"Byakuya is powerful, you know." Rukia clutched her stomach, suppressing the laughter that may come out from her any time.

I rubbed away my tears. "Yeah. Of course he is. He's not captain for nothing."

"But you are powerful too. Why didn't Yamamoto taicho make you a captain too? Or a futaicho?"

I froze. My powers. Again. I should get used to the discussion of my powers. I love my zanpakuto, but I don't really love my powers.

"You don't have to tell me. It's okay." Sensing my discomfort, Rukia tried to ease the tension.

"No. You are my friend. This is what friends are for, isn't it? To share one another's joy and pain." I looked at the small window facing Soukyoku hill. The rain has subsided. "My powers are not something to be proud of."

Rukia waited for me to speak. "Honestly, I don't know what to think of them. My powers saved my life, but killed my sister."

"_Minori, run!" _

"_Kara. Wait, don't, I can fight too!" _

"_So, which one of you is going to stay here and be my dinner? Its okay, the coward gets to be dessert!" The hollow said menacing, licking his lips. "I can't wait. Now, run along, one of you. This makes my hunting even more fun!" _

_Kara drew out her zanpakuto. "I will be your opponent." She turned to me, her eyes wide with fear and determination. "Get out. Run. Find help. Don't stop until you are save. Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll find you later." _

_Although I'm afraid, I can't just leave and let my sister fend for herself. "You are so convincing, Kara. I can help. I have a zanpakuto too. See?" I drew out hotaru no hikari._

"_No don't. You are not trained yet. You just recently gained your shikai. You don't want to die, do you? Just let me handle this. You're still new to this fighting thing anyway." Kara said through her teeth. She strikes the hollow with a blow, but it dodged. _

"_Is that all that you can do?" The hollow chuckled. "Well, at least you are doing something, your partner there is just watching you fight. How pathetic. As a reward, I shall eat your partner first. Does that sound appealing? You get to live a while longer!" _

_With that, the hollow swung its tail at me. I tried to block the sudden attack by putting my zanpakuto in front of me, but it hit me with such force that there was no use blocking. I was swiped backwards and hit a pillar, blood oozing out from my mouth. _

"_Mmm, you look nice…more blood!" The hollow's claws began to extend, and it's left hand clawed at me. I don't even have time to move or block it. A second later, I screamed. Pain at my chest, so unbearable that I'd rather die. "Kara!" _

_Kara growled. I rarely see her so angry before. She gave a heartrending cry. "You son of a bitch! I'm going to kill you! How dare you touch Skye!" _

"_Steal, Tsuki no Yami!"_

_Despite the pain, I forced myself to look at Kara. "Don't…you can't…control…" I reached out for her weakly. The lights in the room began to flicker and it became pitch black. I can't see a thing, and I did what I always do when I feel helpless. I prayed. I prayed silently for the safety of my sister. _

"_You think you can get me just like that?" And immediately, I heard a scream. "Let go of me, you filthy hollow! .GO!" Another scream. _

"_Kara. Kara? Where are you? Are you okay?" My voice shaking with fear. _

"_Ha! I caught you! It can't be helped that you are so eager to be eaten." I heard something being tore apart, then another hear piercing scream. "Don't…argh…Skye, run! Get out of here now!" _

_I don't need telling. I would do anything to get out of this place. The darkness made everything even more frightening than before. I put all my strength in my arms, trying to push myself up. But my head feels dizzy with my every move. I winced as blood oozed out from my chest when I sat up straight. _

"_Oh, it sounds like your little friend is terribly hurt. Run all you can, I will catch up with you after I finish her." _

_Silence. I could only hear my heart pumping. I tried crawling, but that only hurt my wounds even more. _

"_Tsuki no Yami, complete control!" _

_Kara is still fighting? But the hollow already got her. How can she even attack? Then I realized the attack she is using. That attack can only be used in a long range, so how is it going to kill the hollow? Unless…it's not directed at it…_

_I feel my body go numb, and then, I moved. I stood up. My brain took quite a while to comprehend the situation. I can't control my body. She is freaking controlling my body! I wanted to shout at Kara to stop, but I can't open my mouth. _

"_Skye. I'm sorry." I picked up my zanpakuto. What is she trying to do?_

_I raised my zampakuto horizontally in front of me. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you." I can feel Kara smile. Then, she turned serious. "Now." _

_My lips moved. I didn't even know what I said until after the command came out. "Hotaru no HIkari, Aoi!" _

_The blue light shot outwards. I heard a groan. _

"_What…what did you do?" I heard the hollow say in a disbelieving tone. _

_Did I hit him? Is the hollow dead? With that thought in mind, the lights flickered,, before slowly lighting up the room again. That's when I saw everything. _

_My blue light cut through the hollow's mask, and also Kara. Kara was flung onto the ground. My muscles relaxed and I stumbled. Aoi faded as I dropped my zanpakuto. _

_The hollow screamed as it slowly disintegrated. I just stared at the bloody figure lying a few feet away from me. I began to crawl towards the body, too shocked by what happened to do anything. My body hurts, but I couldn't care less. _

_I looked down at her twisted face; her messy tangled hair; the bloody trial where my light cut through her; her right knee bone protruding out. She coughed. I stared. She is not my sister. She is not my sister. She is – _

"_Sk…Skye. Are you alright?" My illusion shattered. This person right in front of me IS my sister. I can't deny that fact. However, realization haven't hit me yet. _

_I gently held her hand. "Why?" _

"_I…I can't…" She choked on her own blood. "I can't die…If I die…that thing…that thing will eat you next…" _

"_Why?" I repeated. _

"_You…you are not capable of fighting…you'll get killed too…that's the only idea I came up with…at that moment…I'm sorry I used you." _

_I caressed her face. "Why?" _

"_To save you." Kara stated simply this time. _

_My senses came back. "I don't need saving. I don't need your sacrifice. I don't need anything. You always tried to act brave. Don't. I'm not forgiving you this time. You don't just force your sister to kill you." I snapped. _

"_If I don't force you, you won't do it." She smiled. "Skye, promise me something." _

"_It depends." _

"_I want you to train hard, everyday. Learn to protect yourself. Achieve bankai if possible. I want you to be powerful. But…but don't use them unless you are desperate, okay?" _

"_That's it? I don't need to promise you that, you will just force me to train everyday." _

"_Promise me." Perhaps it was the urgency in her voice, I nodded grimly. _

"_Don't be too hard on yourself, kay?" _

_I didn't speak. After a few seconds, I remembered what I'm supposed to do. "I'll go and get help now." I said firmly. "Don't you dare move while I'm gone, Kara. Kara?" _

_I felt her hands drop. Her eyelids fluttered and closed. "Kara? Kara? Don't play with me." I felt for her pulse. Nothing. All that is left is a pool of blood with an empty shell that used to be my sister. _

_It started as a small nugget of pain deep inside, but it grew and grew until it was a huge choking ball of agony. As soon as a tear escaped, my flood gates opened. My heart felt as though it was dropped down twenty stories. I cried, softly at first. I didn't know when I started wailing and screaming and hitting the floor with my clenched fists. _

"After I buried my sister, I went far away to another district in Rukongai. Many things happened after that and I finally reached bankai in the shinigami academy, and was called to see Yamamoto taicho. He wanted to appoint me as a vice captain, but I rejected because I don't want to be constantly reminded of my abilities and using them. Guess that didn't work out as I planned, huh?"

"You achieved bankai?" Rukia said, mostly to herself. "I see. Your powers brought you a lot of pain."

"Keep my bankai a secret, I don't want others knowing besides you and Yamamoto taicho."

"Of course." Rukia smiled warmly at me.

"Attention! This is an emergency! Intruders are spotted in the city! All personals should report to their stations."

Upon hearing this, Rukia's face paled.

"Are you okay?" I asked, noticing her change.

She glanced at me. "I'm fine…It's just…the intruders…"

"Don't worry, you are save here." I chuckled at the irony of what I just said.

She fidgeted. "Well…I…I sort of know those intruders. They are friends that I've made during my mission in Karakura town."

"Friends? But they are attacking Seireitei! Oh wait…they're here to save you!" I exclaimed.

"I uhhh…I just…Skye, can you do me a favor?" Rukia shot her head up towards me. "Could you help me make sure that they are fine? The intruders, I mean. But…nevermind. Forget what I said. This is too much to ask…I mean, they are going to attack anyone who stand in their way…especially Ichigo…Just do your duty. Nevermind."

I took in what she said. After a while, I stood up and headed towards the door.

"Are you leaving? I guess that's goodbye huh…" I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

I turned and smirked at her. "Do you think that I'm leaving to capture those intruders?"

"Yeah…then where ARE you going?" Rukia asked, confused at my actions.

"To find them, of course. Especially the one that you called Ichigo. I need to stop him from doing something reckless and gets himself killed by someone. He sounds like a idiot to me."

Rukia looked at me, speechless. "Your friends are my friends too. Besides, I need to thank them properly for saving you. I really hope they succeed though. They are so much better than your powerful but useless brother." I explained before opening the door.

"Don't do anything stupid, Skye. Don't try to save me." Rukia warned me, but there is hope and gratitude mixed in her tone.

I waved my hand at her. "I wouldn't promise that. See you soon, Rukia chan."

**Rukia**

I watched her leave. I know that I shouldn't expect much as death is approaching me, nonetheless, I can't help but feel a glimmer of hope.

I signed. What a stupid thought. I'm endangering my friends who are trying to save me. It's better to give up all hopes of being rescued. After all, it only prolongs my torments. I glanced at the Soukyoku. I wonder how Skye will react if I tell her about Kaien Shiba. She was forced to kill her sister. I actually had a choice.

**Byakuya**

I walked back to the 6th division with Renji, wondering who were those intruders. They had come to save Rukia, no doubt. I was secretly pleased with the fact that someone's doing my job for me. Seems like I'm going to act as the bad guy from now on. What is Minori doing, I wonder. She and Rukia…if they really become friends, I have no doubt that they will be inseparable.

"Taicho, do you think that the orange haired guy we fought will be here?" Renji asked.

"Definitely."

"I knew it. That idiot will come and save Rukia. Sheesh…what is his problem, causing chaos everywhere he goes." Renji scolded under his beath, obviously not meant for me to hear.

I stopped on my tracks. "Renji, I want you to inform everyone in the division to stay alert and stop those intruders at all cost. We don't know what they are capable of. Tell MInori that she would be on the night guard duty today."

**Skye**

"Hai." I replied, after Renji told me of my duties.

He raised his eyebrows. "You recover fast. Considering the fact that you were crying and shouting at Byakuya taicho before that. So how was your little visit?"

I ignored his comment. "It went well. She's fine. Thank you for not reporting to Byakuya taicho."

"You are lucky he didn't punish you for showing disrespect to him. If he finds out about this –" Renji shuddered at the thought. "Nevermind. I got to inform others too. Try and keep a low profile from now on. There are too much problems happening here already."

**~Twilight~**

"Shine, Hotaru no Hikari." Waving my zanpakuto, I made numerous balls of light and directed them to form a circle around the entire 6th division. Satisfied, I stood on the roof top of my division while doing night duty. This way, I could see everyone nearby and of course, hopefully, spot any intruders.

I already made up my mind not to hurt any of those intruders, especially the one named Ichigo. He must be an important person to Rukia. I want to know how they plan to save her, and if I'm insane enough, I would help them.

I felt a familiar reiatsu behind me. On instinct, I shunpoed behind that person and pointed my zanpakuto, still released, at the stranger's neck. However, before I can succeed in angling my sword, my hand holding on to my zanpakuto, was grabbed. The stranger already shunpoed behind me. My other hand was pinned behind my back and I felt a warm breath against my left ear.

"This is the second time you tried to hurt your taicho. I will not tolerate such behavior the third time, do I make myself clear?"

Byakuya. "H…Hai." I barely managed a whisper. I'm not frightened by his presence, but rather what he was doing. He's so close! Half of me felt like squealing with delight, while the other half wanted to push him away. I feel something churn inside my stomach. This feeling…it's different from how I feel when Gin was near me.

Hearing my response, he let go of me. I wanted to turn around and examine his face, but I don't want him to see my blush. _How does he feel?_ I wonder.

"Shouldn't you be heading home, Taicho?" I asked with my head down.

"It's the duty of the captain to check on the subordinates. Besides, Seireitei being attacked. We can't afford to let the subordinates fight while the captains rest. I'll stay in the division until the intruders are captured." He said blandly.

I walked away from him. After inhaling some fresh air, I was finally able to think straight. He's not as bad as I think, I suppose. Maybe I would actually like him if he shows me his true self.

I shook my head. _What are you thinking, Skye. He's the cold hearted man who refused to save his sister! _I mentally slapped myself.

"Focus." I heard him say. "Concentrate on doing your job."

"Hai."

We lapsed into a moment of silence. I stared down at the streets hoping that someone would appear and bring me away. I actually prayed for Gin. _How could Byakuya expect me to concentrate when he's standing a foot away from me, doing absolutely nothing? _

I wanted to talk to him, to break the silence. However I finally decided against it. He may still be angry at me for this afternoon. Besides, he already know the real me, and I know nothing about him. I felt inferior and suddenly angry at him again. I stayed silent despite my discomfort.

"Where did you go after you left my office this afternoon?" Byakuya asked without looking at me.

"I went to find Ichimaru taicho." I lied. Well, partially lied.

I listened as Byakuya's breathing became irregular. It's not obvious unless you listen very very closely. Then, it returned to normal again. "After that?"

"I stayed in the 3rd division until the alarm sounded." I didn't even blink as I said that.

"I see."

"I don't think the intruders would attack at night, taicho. They were separated when they arrived, so they should be hiding, planning and maybe trying to find each other now." I said, desperately changing the topic.

"Do not under estimate your enemies, Minori." He simply said.

"Would you stop calling me Minori?" I asked, slightly irritated by this. I already said that to two people today.

Byakuya looked at me. "What would you prefer to be called then?"

"Skye."

"It would be too informal for me to address you by you name."

I signed. "Taicho, it's just a name."

"Just a name? Your name is given to you by your parents. It is not 'just a name'. Are you disgusted by your surname?" Byakuya seemed angry all of a sudden. "Such people do not deserve to be respected."

Now he's giving me a lecture? I can't believe him. He just assumed. And to think my impression of him changed for the better…"Only one person can call me Minori. And he is dead. I will not allow others to speak of my surname so casually."

I know what I said is weird, but it's the truth. Most people, like Byakuya, would rather be called by their surname as a form of respect, but me…I just can't allow anyone to call me that…

"You are still lingering in the past. So what if that person is dead? You are alive. His death is nothing but an obstacle to you."

DID HE JUST SAY THAT? THAT TAEDA IS A NOBODY?

"You knew nothing, _taicho_. Do not speak of him as if he were dirt beneath my feet." I seethed. "Just because you are from a noble family doesn't mean that you can view others in disdain."

His eyes widened slightly at my confession. Just then, I saw a flicker of black run past the streets. I gripped my zanpakuto tightly and turned my head just in time to see a small black cat.

I was relieved that it's not Ichigo or any other intruders. I can't help them now. Byakuya is beside me, and would be monitoring my every move.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Byakuya frowned. He saw the black cat too.

He's so worked up. After all, it's just a cat.

Suddenly, he shunpoed down to the streets and disappeared into the darkness, not illuminated by my light.

Finally, I'm alone. I looked at the moon above me. _Which is better, darkness or light? _I wondered. _I can't shine my light on every single place. I can't watch over everyone. Kara, will you tell me? You always have the answers. _

**To be continued. I know some of you may not be satisfied with this chapter cos it is mostly about Skye's past...but its part of the story! I do welcome suggestions, anything that you hope to happen in the later chapters...so yup. Until then! -.- **


	5. Chapter 5: Unforgiveable

**Yay new chapter! I included Hitsugaya since BellaLuz64 requested his appearance. And hopefully i can write more about him in the following chapters:) **

**As usual, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, added my stroy to their favourites list/story alert. r/r. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. **

**Skye**

I dragged my tired body around the division to find Byakuya. I was on duty the entire night, without rest, and I felt as though I would collapse any second. I came to a halt as I felt my head bump into someone.

"Watch where you are going, Skye."

I rubbed my eyes and mumbled, "Sorry. Renji, where's Byakuya? I can't find him in the office."

No response. When did Renji give me the silent treatment? I grabbed his wrists to steady myself. "Renji, I'm asking you a –"

I found myself staring at a white haori. Then I looked up. A lump formed in my throat. This person is not Renji at all.

"Ah, Byakuya taicho! I'm sorry for not recognizing you!" I looked at my hands and immediately pulled them back to my side. "And I'm sorry for touching you! I didn't mean to! Please forgive me."

How can I be so stupid to think that he's Renji? No wait…he called me Skye. He called my Skye, that's why I thought it was Renji! I looked at him and tilted the corners of my lips. There, in his eyes, I can see his pupils dancing, amused at what I did.

"What do you need me for?"

"I'm just asking whether I could have a rest. I'm…" I yawned. "I'm tired."

"You don't need to ask me such trivial things."

I raised my eyebrows. "It's a yes then?"

Before Byakuya could answer, Gin appeared out of no where. "Skye chan!"

"Gin?"

"It's a pleasure to see ya! An' of course, Byakuya, how nice ta see ya here!"

"Good day to you, Ichimaru. Please refrain from being intimidate in public, Skye." Byakuya glanced at me. "He's a captain, you are to address him accordingly."

I guess I can't change his mind. "Forgive my rudeness, Ichimaru taicho." I said mockingly. "What business do you have in the 6th division?"

"I'm finding ya."

I kept a straight face despite my curiosity. "And what do you need from me?"

"Three boxes 'f dried persimmons. Ya promised."

Oh shit. Now? Byakuya is right here!

"What do you mean, Ichimaru?" Byakuya interrupted our conversation.

I intercrossed my index fingers, trying to indicate to Ichimaru not to say anything about my visit.

"Ah, din't ya know? Skye chan promised ta give meh dried persimmons in return fer my favor to allow her ta visit Rukia chan!" Ichimaru gladly replied without taking any notice of me.

I slumped my shoulders. There goes my sleep.

"You gave her permission to visit Rukia?" Byakuya confirmed.

Ichimaru shrugged. "Yep. No point refusing my lil' Skye chan!"

Byakuya turned to gave me a hard stare. "I see. If you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to discuss with Skye. Go to my office now."

As I walked past Ichimaru, I glared at him. _I'll never speak to him again. He haven't changed one bit. He still enjoy watching others suffer. He's such a sadist! Grrr… _He just grinned at me and whispered in my ear again. "Din't mean ta get ya into any trouble. Sorry."

**Byakuya**

I looked outside my window. It's been a long time since I saw cherry blossoms. I signed. It really helps to calm me down, especially in such situations, where individuals do not obey my commands. However, what surprised me was the fact that I'm not as angry as I thought I would be. Was it because the person who broke the rule was Skye? Or was it because Rukia was involved?

I decided to call her Skye after her confession. I might have crossed the line yesterday, she was really upset that I insulted her "special somebody". I may somewhat understand her anger; I wouldn't forgive anyone who insult my wife either.

Ever since Skye arrived, I wasn't as composed as I had been. I actually tried to interact with her; to know her, and did not even punish her when she showed disrespect. I even thought I saw Yoruichi yesterday, when all that was there was a black cat.

From the corners of my eyes, I saw Skye standing with her back against the door. I was too lost in thoughts and didn't even notice her waiting for me to speak all these time.

I turned to face her. "Explain." I took note of her form flinching as I spoke. She seemed...almost scared.

"There is nothing to explain." Skye pushed back her shoulders as she replied, trying to put on a brave front. She is just too…predictable. One need years to master the art of hiding emotions. I can read her like an open book.

"Come closer." I motioned her. She looked reluctant to move at first, but after a while, she finally leaned away from the door and stepped forward, but now moving unconsciously to the right, where the book shelves are.

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you afraid of me?"

She gasped, not expecting my question. "I…of course not, Byakuya taicho."

"Then why are you hiding in the shadows?"

This time, she looked down at her feet, not responding. "Come closer." I repeated. I feel a pang in my heart when I realized she is actually afraid of me. I didn't want her to be afraid.

"We can have a perfectly fine conversation standing like that. And I am not afraid of you, taicho. I just prefer to stand here. It's not against the rules, is it?"

I closed my eyes, registering her words. It takes more than that to convince me. "No, it's not against the rules. However, since you do not wish to move," I flash stepped right in front of her, "then I will."

My shadows blocked the light away from her, but I can still see her grabbing her hakama nervously. I didn't say anything, and she didn't press me on.

However, not long after, impatience crept over me. I cleared my throat. "Would you explain why you asked Ichimaru taicho to assist you in visiting Rukia?"

"You would not allow me to see her." She spoke in a small voice.

I stared at her again. Her fringe covering her left eye swayed as a gush of wind blew by. One moment it is black, shadowed by the darkness around her, and the next moment its dark purple again. I fought to control the urge to reach out and touch her soft, smooth hair.

"Byakuya taicho, I'm fully aware of my mistakes, and I apologize for my misconduct. So why don't you just tell me my punishment and get this over with?"

I instantly pushed her against the book shelves, with one hand pressing the wood and the other lifting her chin. I leaned in until I can feel her ragged breath near my lips. "Do you desire to be punished by me?"

Her breathing becomes more and more erratic. "No. But won't you punish me?" she whispered back.

All I can think about at this moment is how good her heated breath feels on my lips. So close. We are so close. "I never said that I would punish you." I said huskily.

Her brown eyes flashed with excitement for a second. "Tell me, are you blushing?"

She gasped and tried to hide her face, but I applied enough force on her chin to let her know that I would not allow her to pull away from me.

"No. Of course not, Byakuya taicho." I caught her hands clutching the bookshelf from the corner of my eyes. Her knuckles were white from her tight grip.

"Do you intend to lie to your captain?" I moved even closer to her, intoxicated by her smell. Closer. Just a bit more…

We fit perfectly. I pressed harder onto her lips, but not moving. Her eyes widened and her hands removed themselves from the bookshelf almost instantly and grabbed my haori, pulling me closer.

"What are you doing to me?" She broke the fragile link between us.

I moved both of my hand around her and hugged her tightly. Closing my eyes, I allow myself to be buried in her hair. "Mmm…You smell like jasmine."

Immediately, I feel her body stiff against me. Before I knew it, she pushed me away from her. Her actions brought my senses back to me. No longer clouded by the desire to touch her, I realized what I've done.

**Skye**

I feel so save with him. One minute I was terrified by his presence, and the next I am resting rather comfortably in his arms. I want us to stay like this, forever.

"Mmm…You smell like jasmine."

This seemingly innocent sentence brought me back to reality. Gathering as much strength as possible, I pushed Byakuya away from me, disgusted by both our actions. I looked at him piercingly. Byakuya seemed as shock as me, but I'm not planning on forgiving him just because we're on the same boat.

"I apologize for my indecent actions just now. I would ask of you to forget about this. Now, if you'll excuse me, Byakuya taicho, I need to be on a look out for the ryoka."

With that, I turned and left, saving him the embarrassment of explaining what he did.

**Byakuya**

Forget about this. Forget? Did she think that she can forget about this just like that? I touched my lips. The kiss was too brief and short for me to taste her. I shook my head in disbelief. How could I still think of her?

I tried to think of something else. Right. Hisana.; How could I be intimidate with other woman when I love my wife? How could _she _be intimidate with me when she had Ichimaru? My eyes flashed with anger as I was reminded of Ichimaru and Skye together.

I signed. I can't afford to be disorganized and unfocused when Seireitei is being attacked. I pushed the incident to the back of my head. When I see Skye again, we have nothing, absolutely nothing, but a captain and subordinate relationship.

**Skye**

I yawned. So much had happened that I forgot about my sleepiness. Oh well. Now I only have two things to do. One, find Renji. Two, make sure that the ryoka are alive and well.

Just then, I felt an overpowering release of reiatsu. That's almost captain level, except I never sensed that reiatsu before. Is it those ryokas? I grabbed my zanpakuto for support. _If this is the power of the intruders, then Rukia has nothing to worry about._ I smirked inwardly as I flash stepped there to confirm my theory.

"Rukia!"

That sounds like Renji. I hid behind a building to get a better idea of what is happening before I make my appearance. I was surprised to see Renji in such a disheveled state. He was holding a broken zanpakuto; his sunglasses in pieces and his red hair were all over his face. I fought back the urge to rush forward and save him.

Suddenly, Renji grabbed Ichigo and said, "I never won a fight against Byakuya before in my life, no matter how much I trained. Please. Save Rukia."

"I will." That's when I noticed the ryoka. He was in the same state as Renji, and he has bright orange hair. _Ichigo!_

I continued looking as both of them fell to the ground. I considered helping Renji and Ichigo, but sensed someone else arriving as well. I did not stop Hanataro and the other ryoka from running away with Ichigo. So even Hanataro is helping. I looked down at myself in dismay. I claim to be Rukia's friend, but I'm not doing anything to stop the execution.

I walked over to Renji as Hanataro disappeared from my sights.

"Skye chan, you are here as well. How is Abarai futaicho?"

"Kira kun!" I glanced at him. "I'm afraid he's heavily injured. We need to put him on a stretcher."

**~ Some time later ~ **

"How can this be!" Hinamori wailed as she saw Renji. "He's…"

I bent down and examined Renji's wounds. The cut on his chest is deep and fatal, but apart from that, the other wounds are not so critical. He should survive. My hands were filled with his blood as I touched him. I put on a strong façade, but inside, I am really disgusted by the blood. This scene, it reminds me of Kara. Of how she was dying and I could do nothing to save her.

"There's no need. Throw him in jail." I jolted from my position. Byakuya! Why is he here? I don't want to see him. _Yet. _

"I don't want excuses. Since he was fighting alone, there's no reason that he should have lost. I don't want an idiot who can't even understand this. He's just getting in the way." Byakuya retorted to Hinamori's pleas.

He looked at me expectantly, daring me to refute him. Anger was boiling in my stomach, but I'm still not ready to face him. "I understand. I shall bring him to the 6th division holding cell."

Byakuya didn't respond, but I know that he's surprised.

"Skye chan, how could you…"

"Hinamori, nevermind. I'm sorry, Byakuya taicho." Kira pulled Hinamori to a bow.

"I'm sorry too." Hinamori mumbled unwillingly.

When Byakuya left, Hinamori continued. "Skye chan! He's your futaicho! I didn't know you were like this! I mean, you are not the warm type, but I never questioned your integrity."

"I'm doing what is best for everyone."

"Oh so scary!" I didn't look up as I recognize that voice anywhere. Ichimaru. He dares to come so close to me even after what he did. _He's not fit to become a taicho! _I almost uttered out the sentence. "He actually said those words! The 6th division captain is as scary as usual."

"You actually have the nerve to come up here after what you did to me this morning?" I gritted through my teeth.

"Skye chan, when did ya get as scary as him?" Ichimaru's smile spread even more when he directed his speech at me. "So ya got into any trouble? I coulda help ya talk to him, ya know."

I remembered to breathe. Right now, Renji is more important. "Ichimaru taicho, would you kindly take Renji to the 4th division?"

He chuckled. "So ya playing hard to get now. Don't worry, I'll help ya contact the 4th division. Come, with meh, Kira."

Now there's only Hinamori and me. I wasn't particularly comfortable with Hinamori, maybe because she looked like the type who breaks down easily. I just don't know how to deal with these type of people, so it's best if I'm not too close to her.

"Hinamori futaicho, I know you are worried about Renji, but rest assured that I will take care of him." I said as I stood up. She nodded her head, but doesn't look convinced by my sincerity.

"Owah! How did Abarai get beaten so bad?"

"Wah? Hitsugaya kun?"

"I told you, I'm a captain now, you shouldn't address me like that."

I waited for both of them to calm down. These two, they always start or end a conversation like this. _That's so Taeda._ I said to myself as I watched Hitsugaya arguing with Hinamori.

"So, why are you here, Hitsugaya kun?" Hinamori finally got back on track.

I cleared my throat. "You didn't bring your vice captain." I stated.

He glanced at me before turning serious. "I'm here to give some advice. You have to watch out for the third division."

"What? Kira kun? Why?" Hinamori asked.

"I'm talking about Ichimaru, but beware of Kira as well. Anyway, it's not gonna hurt you to keep an eye on them."

Now its my turn to be surprised. "Ichimaru?" I unconsciously questioned out loud.

Taking note of my presence, Hitsugaya replied, "Yes. Hinamori, just watch out. I need to talk to you, Skye." He glanced at Hinamori. Automatically, she said goodbye to us and left.

"The next time you catch her alone, you're going to tell her to watch out for me too, right?" I'm not stupid.

Hitsugaya leaned against the wall and paused at my bluntness. "Yes, yes I will, if I find you suspicious."

"There is no ifs. You find Gin suspicious, and being a close friend of his, you'll find me suspicious as well."

He silently acknowledged my theories. "Hitsugaya taicho, what did Gin do?" I continued.

"Ichimaru taicho." He corrected me. "It's what he haven't do. But he's planning something, I know it."

"Well, even if he's plotting something, he didn't take the honor to tell me." I declared my innocence on this matter.

"No one will say that they are guilty." He stepped in front of me. Wow, he's really short. "I will believe you for now. But if you dare to hurt Hinamori, I will not hesitate to stop you."

I smirked. "What?" He asked, irritated by my reaction.

"You are so protective." I stated as I tried to keep my face as serious as possible.

Hitsugaya blushed. "I..."

"That's good." My smile turned sad. "Don't get too carried away with protecting her. Hinamori needs you too. Alive." I emphasized the last word.

I walked away, ready to leave. There's still the ryokas. And I need to find Ichigo, quick. Heck, I needed rest too. Maybe I should eat something first. I haven't eaten since last night.

"You are still thinking of that Taeda guy, aren't you?"

I stopped on my track when Hitsugaya spoke that name. He still remembered what I said on our first encounter. "Excuse me?" I half wanted to tell him not to pry on others' business, but decided against it.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

I barely managed to hide my shock. For the first time in years, someone actually said that. The truth. The truth that even after so many years, I refused to believe. Weirdly, Hitsugaya's words brought some comfort to me. "Does it matter?" I whispered.

Despite the height difference, he put his hands on either side of my shoulders and shook me. "Wake up. Stop living in the past. Open your eyes. Whoever he is in the past, he's gone. You are a shinigami now, and you work for soul society. You need to be strong!"

His voice rang in my ears. "I know." I pulled his hands off me.

"I remind you of him for some reason." Hitsugaya said. It's a statement, not a question.

I'm utterly speechless. What am I supposed to say? "You don't know, or else you won't be acting like that. One minute happy; angry; full of emotions, and the next you are cold; calm; void of those emotions." He forced his words onto me again. "Yes, most people can see by now your 'double personality'."

I haven't returned from the shock. That is by far the longest conversation Hitsugaya had with me. By the time I recovered, he was already at the door. "Thank you. For reminding me that love comes in both ways."

I looked at his white hair, glistening in the Sun. "Oh, and please take good care of Abarai, as you promised Hinamori."

**Review please! I hope to get more reviews and more suggestions on how to improve as well. I hope everyone has an enjoyable time reading this chapter and I promise next chapter will be longer! =.= **


	6. Chapter 6: Struggle

**I'm sorry for the delay! i'm busy with orientation and cny so it took me quite a while to update. **

**as usual, i wanna thank BellaLuz64 for always reviewing, and everyone else who reads this story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. **

**Skye**

"Hey. How do you feel?"

"Argh. My head hurts." Renji puts his hand on his forehead. "Where am I?"

"You are, unfortunately, in the detention centre." I explained. "But not before Unohana taicho treated your wounds."

"I screwed up huh." He signed as he opened his eyes.

I managed a small smile dancing on my lips. "You're fine. But you did look in a bad shape when I saw you."

"Nonetheless, I lost to that ryoka." He took note of my form leaning against the cell. "Ichigo." He whispered.

"You're not weak, Renji. I actually felt relieved that you didn't win."

"You what?" He sat up suddenly. "Ouch. You wanted Ichi- that ryoka to win?" He said, amazed.

"Rukia told me about Ichigo. So he's not just 'that ryoka'. Are you not even a tiny bit happy that he'd won?"

Renji stayed silent for a moment. "He's the one who is going to save Rukia. Not you, not me, but him. We are just two cowardly shinigami who can't choose sides. So shouldn't you be thankful that he can continue what we hoped to do?" I said quietly.

"I've known Rukia from Inuzuri. We grew up together and we were good friends until…until she's adopted into the Kuchiki family. From then on, I feel that I can't reach out for her, no matter how hard I try." He confessed.

My eyes bore into his slouched form. His shoulders slacked and eyes drooped. What's more, he hasn't completely healed yet. He really looked defeated, and there's nothing I can do to help him. Nothing I can say to comfort him. I can't give him any advice because, heck, I can't even give myself any.

After a few minutes of silence, I decided to leave him in his thoughts. "I undid the kido spell surrounding the detention centre." I said as I turned and walked away.

"What do you mean?"

"You can get out of here and save Rukia if you want. Just break through your holding cell." I gave him a tired smile.

"You want me to escape?"

I shrugged. "You will, even if I don't help you. I'm just making your life easier, idiot."

"Where are you going?"

"To find Ichigo. I promised Rukia he will not end up dead. Nor will any of the other ryokas."

Renji threw back his head and gave a painful laugh. "He will not end up dead, alright. Unless he faces Byakuya. Skye, promise me something."

"…"

"Don't let him kick Byakuya's ass before I do. Ichigo is stronger than me, but I'm not sure that he's strong enough to defeat Byakuya. 'sides, how can I live with myself if he actually wins Byakuya?"

I stopped at the entrance as Renji stopped talking. "I'll promise you if you promise me something."

"What?" Renji's voice echoed in the cell.

"Let's save her together. I'll be waiting for you." Without hearing his reply, I shunpoed away.

I thought about what happened as I looked out for the flash of orange. In the past two days, I've visited Rukia, tried to look out for Ichigo, kissed my captain, suspected by Hitsugaya and provided some help for my futaicho to escape from jail. Not to mention my body felt like crap.

Added to the sleepiness were feelings of guilt, repent, anger, grief and sorrow. How could I forget about Taeda and just kiss Byakuya like that's the most normal thing to do? How _dare _he say I smell like jasmine? That sentence, like "Minori", can only be uttered by one person. How can I enjoy myself when _he_ left?

Lately, I have been feeling again. Feelings like embarrassment, desire, and fear, all gathered together in my abdomen when I see Byakuya, which is only worsened by his close proximity with me. I vividly remember how I felt when I touched his dry lips. All my defenses, emotions, thoughts were knocked out, replaced by only one word. _More. _I had wanted more. If Byakuya hadn't said anything, I would have fallen deeper into my sin. Who knows what I would have done with him then?

These feelings scared me. Scared me to hell. As a result, I feel a twinge of fear whenever I am alone with Byakuya. I _don't want_ to feel this excitement when I'm with him. I'm not supposed to. This feeling is only reserved for Taeda. Byakuay makes me lose the little control I have over myself. Not that I like being in control. In fact, the old me was a totally out-of-control freak, who just randomly do things and say things without caring or thinking.

This really got me to wonder, how certain events can affect an individual. I changed so much. Sometimes, when I looked in the mirror, I don't know who that reflection I'm staring at is. Who is that dark purple colored hair girl who looks exactly like me. We may look alike on the outside, but deep down, we are completely different. I wanted to believe that I have not changed. I'm still that innocent girl who believed in everything and loved the world. Everything that has been happening scared me. They push the real 'me' deeper into my mind, where it is buried in a small corner of my heart, too lonely, too afraid, too powerless to get out.

I went faster, eager to feel the air resistance against me. It doesn't matter how I feel, for all that matters, it may only be a crush. I mean, Byakuya do look gorgeous. Maybe that's why I feel so attracted to him. But judging by his idiotic attitude, I guess this affection will not last for long.

_Hey, Skye, would you focus on the current situation already? You're making me as messed up as you. _

That surprised me. Hotaru no Hikari chose the best of times to disturb. Finally, when I thought I can uncover myself….But she's right. I'm technically in a middle of war, and I need to know which side to stand on.

_Thanks, Hikari. _

What am I really going to do? Defy all the rules and save Rukia? Am I really going to do that? The me now certainly wouldn't'. But the me then…my lips curled up into a naughty smile that haven't shown itself for ages. So what if the old 'me' was locked up in some remote corner of my heart? _I just broke out of it. _I grinned. _For a while, just until I saved Rukia._ I promised.

_Now this is going to get interesting._ I thought. _Or not. _I took in the scene in front of me in horror. There, covered with blood, was the captain of the 5th division, Sosuke Aizen.

**Byakuya**

I can't believe Skye just obeyed my orders. After spending some time with her, I thought her disobedience was innate. She couldn't even hide it. But there, she just proved me wrong.

Even though the kiss we shared was etched strongly in my mind, I didn't let it affect me. I couldn't let myself get carried away the next time. This was a mistake. I betrayed Hisana the moment my heart beats faster at the sight of Skye.

She may have her own conflicts, but she immersed herself to deeply into those miseries. She needed help. Someone to drag her away from the dark patch of her life. I have been tempted to help her, but decided against that. This is not the behavior of someone from the Kuchiki clan. Skye is just my 3rd seat; she doesn't deserve more of my attention. However, if she continues like that, one of these days she is going to break down. And then there is nothing anyone could do to save her.

I had actually cursed her presence before. After seeing Skye, I became more conflicted. If Hisana were here, she would have provided me with the exact solution to my problems.

Hisana or my parents? That single question haunted me for days. Now Skye is added into the picture. I groaned. She asked Ichimaru for help. No doubt she will try to save Rukia too. I would need to stop her when that time comes. I don't know if I could muster up my courage to hurt her. Skye was strong and delicate at the same time.

"Byakuya taicho. I have a message from Unohana taicho. All captains are required to gather at the 4th division to identify the body of Sosuke Aizen." The messenger continued gravely. "Captain Aizen was found dead an hour ago."

There is one question that I have a definite answer to. The feelings I have for Skye, is it pity or love?

**Skye**

"I can't let you hurt him, Hinamori." I said calmly as I stopped her swinging katana with my right arm. I just can't be bothered to draw my zanpakuto, so I raised my reiatsu to counter her attack. But how can I be calm when Aizen lie dead in his division in broad daylight?

Hinamori, out of sorrow, anger, and Hitsugaya's warning, decided to put the blame on Ichimaru. Kira should be there to defend his captain, but he was still a step away when Hinamori attacked. Ichimaru, on the other hand, could have blocked easily, but he stood there grinning as usual. As a result, I, who have nothing to do with this whole thing, have to stand between Hinamori and Ichimaru to make sure they don't kill each other.

"You!" Hinamori screeched at me. "You betrayed Aizen taicho too! You are working together with him!" She pointed at Ichimaru. "Hitsugaya kun was right all along! Now stand back and let me kill that murderer!"

Without hesitation, Hinamori moved around me and swung her zanpakuto again, this time with much greater force.

I was ready to draw out my zanpakuto too, when Kira intervened. Seireitei is officially in disorder, I thought as watched the fight. Apparently, after Kira and Hinamori released the zanpakuto, Hitsugaya came in with a timely intervention and sent them both to the detention cell.

"I apologise for the trouble, Taicho. Kira cause ya some trouble there…" Ichimaru began but was cut off by Hitsugaya.

"Ichimaru, were you planning on killing Hinamori?"

"What do ya mean?"

"I'm warning you, if you make Hinamori shed even one drop of blood, I'll kill you."

"My my, that's very terrifying! If ya feel that way about her, ya ought ta be careful not ta let bad guys get ta her."

I grabbed Ichimaru. "Shut up, Gin. Let's go. I have something to ask you."

Hitsugaya flashes me a glare, but not as deadly as the one he gave Ichimaru. "I don't know what you're up to, Skye, but you need to choose your stand soon. My warning applies to you as well."

"Don't be stupid, I won't hurt her." I replied.

Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows, surprised that I talked this way.

"Thanks to your reminder, I decided to let go of the past. For a while." I added the last three words quickly.

I dragged Ichimaru to a rooftop, then released him. "So, do you intend to explain yourself?"

"Skye chan, nice ta know that you're back ta normal!"

I grabbed his haori. "Stop fooling around, Gin. Answer. My. Question. Or do you want to get hurt?" I threatened him.

"Ya saved meh from Hinamori, then ya want ta kill meh?" He gave me his trademark mocking smile.

I remembered how I used to hate that smile. "Try me." In a split second, my zanpakuto was at his neck. "Now, tell me you are not about to do anything bad. Are you?"

I made it a question, because as much as I wanted to deny it, I do have my doubts about Ichimaru. I know him for a very long time, and because I do, I know that he is a very unpredictable person. And I know he will not answer me willingly, thus my decision to force him.

"Aww…Skye chan, ya getting as scary as Byakuya!"

Again. He's not answering the question. Now I feel more anxious. He's the one person who is familiar with me and my past, I don't want him to disappear from my life, like Taeda and Kara. He can be annoying and sarcastic at times, or all the time, but I'm used to it. I like him just the way he is.

See? That's what happens when I'm 'me'. I am vulnerable.

_Be brave. This is what you choose. You need to carry out your promise. Don't retreat back to your shell at least until Rukia is saved. Besides, not answering doesn't mean that Ichimaru is the bad guy._

Hotaru no Hikari. I silently thanked my zanpakuto for her support.

"I don't want you to be my enemy." Finally, I lowered my defenses and hugged him, changing my tactics.

Ichimaru didn't reply. I wanted to look up and see if I wiped out that big smile of his, but I'm afraid any tiny movement would disrupt our peace. At the instant I embraced him, I realized that I knew nothing about Ichimaru. I feel so far away from him. I suddenly realized that the strong bond that I thought we shared can actually break anytime, anywhere.

I felt Ichimaru ruffle my hair. That's as close as he would get. I signed, slightly disappointed by his reaction. He pulled away from me.

"Skye chan. Ya shouldn't look so sad." Despite his grin, I can sense his seriousness. He raised his reiatsu so much that I find it hard to move.

"Gin. Promise me." I called out for him, desperate for him to stop. I know he will disappear and I'll probably not see him again until this whole ruckus end. He's always like that. Going somewhere without telling me.

He stopped. "Promise me you will not leave, like Taeda." My voice raw.

"Ya know I won't. Ya always will be my sora chan."

**Byakuya **

It's just a premonition. But I feel that something is wrong. I looked in the direction of the Senzaikyu. _Rukia._ I quickly shunpoed there.

**Skye **

"Leave him to me." I smiled at Yachiru.

I bent down and looked at him, close up. By now, I'm thoroughly amazed at this orange hair guy called Ichigo. He just defeated Kenpachi. I know I did too, but Kenpachi didn't even release his full reiatsu when fighting me. I'm just lucky I got over with that fight quickly enough.

Ichigo is at a totally different level from me. He's powerful, alright. And he genuinely loves his power. I put my hands in front of his chest and started the healing kido. Green light emitted from my palms.

"What are you doing?" He caught one of my arms.

"Healing you. I'm not from the 4th division, so I'm only doing basic healing." I continued as though nothing as happened. After Gin left, I gathered up all my courage and forced myself not to think about it. I had a lot of things to do. Fighting back my drowsiness, I finally found Ichigo.

He opened his eyes, dark brown orbs staring at me with a frown. "I don't need healing. I'm fine. In fact, I don't have time to waste. I need to be on my way –"

"You are really stubborn, you know." I cut him off. "I know you have to save Rukia, but Hanatarou and your other friend already headed to Senzaikyu. Can't you have faith in them, Ichigo?"

He suddenly sat up, disrupting my healing. He roughly grabbed my chin and turned my head from left to right, scrutinizing me.

"Mmm…who are you? I haven't seen you around before. How did you know my name?"

I raised, offering him a hand to stand up, but he refused. Typical of guys his age. Full of pride. "Rukia asked me to make sure that you are fine. She especially mentioned you name. Come on, let's go."

He sheathed his zanpakuto and followed me. "You are helping me then?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Idiot. Of course I am. What does it look like I'm doing then?" I rolled my eyes at him.

He chuckled, letting the tension between us disappear. "You're the second person here who didn't want to kill me. Thanks, I suppose."

I snorted.

"So, what is your name?"

"Minori Skye. Just call me Skye."

"Alright then. Skye." He looked at me expectantly. "What division are you from? I thought everyone here are proud to announce the division and position and blah to newcomers."

"Newcomers?" I smirked. "I'm the 3rd seat of the 6th division. Just so you know, Renji's my futaicho. You beat the crap out of him."

"Oh Renji. He asked me to save Rukia." Ichigo fastened his pace. "And I will. You're saving her too?"

I was just about to answer when I sensed the reiatsu coming from the entrance of Senzaikyu. I stopped.

"Hey, what's the matter? We need to get up there quick." Ichigo barked at me impatiently.

"You go first. Quick. Your friend is in trouble." I whispered.

I barely managed to finish my sentence when Ichigo dashed off. I looked up to see a part of Senzaikyu.

"Byakuya." I breathed. "What are you doing?"

**Byakuya**

The second I sensed that reiatsu, I knew who I was expecting.

"I'm here to save you, Rukia."

Ukitake was surprised beyond words. So he made it this far. But, it's my duty to stop him here.

"You can get mad later." Ichigo turned away from Rukia and met my gaze. He have changed, indeed. His gaze now held determination, something I didn't expect from him. "After I defeat him!"

"Byakuya, who is that?" Ukitake seemed to have recovered from his shock.

"He's a nobody. Compared to the person laying behind you, he's not important. He's just a drifter that I would destroy. This is the end of this meaningless rescue. Everything ends now."

**Skye**

"_Minori Skye! Move your feet, idiot! Get up there and stop the fight! You are well aware that in his condition, even if a miracle happens, Ichigo is not going to defeat Byakuya!" _

I didn't move. Too shocked at the overwhelming amount of reiatsu Byakuya released. Even captains are not allowed to release their zanpakutos, unless…it's a war. So Yamamoto taicho declared this as a war. This is going to be bad.

"_Release me, Skye! Rukia is there, remember? Stop doubting yourself and trust your instincts!" Hotaru no Hikari screamed in my mind. _

"Yeah. I know." I snapped out of my thoughts. This is it then. My stand is clear. Saving Rukia meant fighting Byakuya. This is something that I should've known. I judged the situation. I encountered Byakuya's zanpakuto before. I know I have to be quick if Ichigo is going to be 'fine'.

"Let's go, Hotaru no Hikari." My sword shone with white light as it is released. It'd be faster to move with Hikari in the released state.

"Chire, Senbonzakura."

Looks like I got there just in time. In a spilt second, I was on top of Ichigo, waving my zanpakuto at inhumane speed as I deflected all the small pieces of Senbonzakura, unseen to the naked eye.

**Byakuya**

"Chire, Senbonzakura."

Ichigo surprised me by blocking my sudden attack as he actually spotted me moving in shunpo. He has potential, I have to admit, but he will not be leaving this place alive. There is no way he could block Senbonzaukura now. He's going to end up like that guy from the Shiba family.

In that moment, I saw a flash of light, not blinding, but warm, moving around Ichigo. It looks like mini fireworks, but all white.

It took me a while to realize what was happening. Something, or someone, was protecting Ichigo, and I am sure I know just the person behind it.

**Skye**

"You…you…how did you move so fast?" Rather than looking at me, Ichigo looked at my glowing zanpakuto with his mouth wide open in an exaggerated manner.

"It's called speed. You better thank me. I released my zanpakuto to save your ass." I turned to see Rukia shaking.

"Rukia, are you alright?" I asked, lowering my reiatsu so she could stand.

"I'm fine." She mumbled. "You shouldn't be here, Skye chan! You are going to get into trouble!" She glanced nervously at Byakuya.

I looked into Byakuya's eyes. Hurt, surprise, anger, confusion, they are written plainly over his head, though his face revealed nothing. I shook my head. No time to think about Byakuya. My task is to make sure that Ichigo is fine and Rukia is not dead.

"I'm already in trouble for visiting you that day." I murmured.

Byakuya's zanpakuto seemed to return back in one piece. "As your captain, I ask of you only this one time. Are you helping these scums save Rukia?"

I flinched at his choice of words.

"Hey Skye chan." I nodded in acknowledgment as Hanatarou whispered to me. "Please don't get into trouble. For Rukia chan. If you are thrown in jail, then things are going to be hard. Who's going to save Rukai chan then? Please don't fight Byakuya taicho here. We can't win against two taichos."

What he said makes sense. And I haven't even prepared myself to stand against Byakuya. But if I don't do anything now, Rukia is sure going back and Ichigo, what will happen to him? With his hot-headedness, he's sure going to engage in a one-on –one battle with Byakuya. And Byakuya will not let any of us go easily either.

"I was just sticking to the promise I made to Renji. I promised him I won't let Ichigo engage in a one-on-one battle with you." This is the best excuse I could think about now.

"It is not of your concern who I fight. You are acting without my order." Byakuya raised his zanpakuto again. "I should have requested to demote you along with Renji during the meeting just now. Idiots like you do not deserve to be ranked at such a high position in my division. Now, be gone."

I was so shocked at what Byakuya said that I just automatically tuned out. He was never this _menacing _towards me. He never looked at me this way. Like I was a rat scurrying at his feet. He never called me an idiot. I thought I should feel anger, but all I felt were pain. Invisible spears piercing through my flesh, tugging at my heart, trying to pull it out. Surprisingly, I don't feel my eyes becoming heavy. I didn't cry. I couldn't. It was just so sudden, so unexpected, that I just stood there, my tears not even having enough time to form.

I didn't hear him when he commanded his zanpakuto to charge again. I didn't hear Rukia's scream. But I did see a tanned, magenta color haired woman coming out of nowhere and restrained Senbonzakura.

I didn't hear what they say, but that woman used houten on Ichigo.

"_Hey you're going to stand like this forever? Get your butt moving, lady!" _

With that, Hotaru no Hikari awakened me, pushing me back to my senses.

"You are trying to save him, Yoruichi." _Glad that she's not the enemy, _I thought.

"Did you think that I would allow it, sempai?" from the way they talk, they know each other. Well, they can fight each other for all I care. Right now, I don't want to have anything to do with Byakuya.

"Rukia, I'll make sure you won't die." I walked towards her.

She looked at me worriedly. "Skye chan, you don't have to sacrifice this much for me…"

"No, I do. You are my friend. I will save you, no matter what it takes. I've lost too many people already, I can't afford to lose you too." I meant every word I said as I thought about Taeda, Kara, and…maybe Gin.

"Three days. In three days, I'll make him stronger than you. The fight between you two is postponed until then. You can follow, but the god of shunpo will not get caught so easily."

We turned to see Yoruichi on the roof, with Ichigo in her arms. She's fast. I wonder if I could catch her.

"I will not let you get away. What makes you think I will be even fighting with that slut in the first place?" Byakuya made no move to catch Yoruichi.

Instead, he turned to me. "As of now, I am still your captain. With your speed, I'm sure you could catch her. This is your chance to prove yourself." Even as he's asking for my help, Byakuya still gave me an inferior look.

I have had enough of this. Ignoring what he said, I shrugged. "My job here is done. Please take good care of Ichigo, Yoruichi san!"

She looked at me for a moment before chuckling. "I like you. Byakuya, she's too much for you to handle." With that, she disappeared into the wind.

Finally, it ended. No, it didn't. It's just the beginning of the end. I don't know what Byakuya is going to do with me, and I don't want to know. It feels like everything bad is doomed on me. I feel…helpless.

I gulped as Byakuya fixed his death stare at me. Rukia whispered to me. "Good luck, Skye chan."

Byakuya walk away without saying anything. He doesn't need to. I can feel the anger radiating from him. I just hurt his pride by disobeying his orders in front of others.

"Hey, where are you going, Byakuya? What about the others?" Ukitake called out.

"I lost my interest. Do whatever you want to them." As he passed me, he said, not bothering to hide his disgusted look at me, "Follow me." He didn't even glance at Rukia as he walked by.

Ignoring the little voices in my head that shouted at me to run away as far as possible, I followed him.

**Byakuya**

This is unforgiveable, I decided. Who does she think she is, challenging the head of the Kuchiki family.

She walked behind me, turning corridors after corridors. How could I kiss someone as filthy as that? She put on a brave face when she was with Rukia, but now, alone with me, her ego seemed to have crumbled. Good. I wanted her to feel defeat.

I stopped abruptly, wondering how long she is going to keep following me in silence. She should be the one who opens her mouth first and apologize. Instead of that, she bumped into my back.

I hissed in anger. I do not want any part of her touching me. She jumped back in shock at the sudden brief contact. Still, she did not apologize for knocking onto me.

I grabbed her arm tightly and threw her against the wall. "Who do you think you are?"

My voice louder than usual

She stared at me defiantly, but I can see her body trembling with fear. "Where do you want me to go? The holding cell?"

"Do not answer my question with another question." I grabbed her shihakusho. "Pass me your katana. Now."

"What?" She whispered.

I pulled her up so we are at eye level. "You are going to the detention centre now. If you do not wish to be restrained, I suggest you hand over you katana."

I put her down. She unhooked her zanpakuto from her back and held on to it, unwilling to let go. After a few seconds of internal struggle, she passed it to me hesitantly.

She entered the holding cell and sat at a corner. I looked at her pathetic form. As I leave the cell, I said to her blandly, "You are not worthy to be in the 6th division."

**and thanks for reading! -.- i really hope to have more reviews, they show me how much you appreciate my story...and i will try my best to update soon! until then. 0.o**


	7. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay, I received a not-so-nice comment about my fanfic…and honestly, it took me a while to calm down.

I am a horrible person because I wrote a fanfic that is not up to your standards? Seriously? I shame my family and friends because you don't like what I wrote? WHO ARE YOU TO SAY THAT? I went to look at your profile, and guess what, you didn't even write ANY fanfic, so how can you criticize me?

I appreciate feedback for my story, so thanks for telling me that my story sucks. Yeah. But that doesn't give you ANY right to insult me AS A PERSON.

You, my dear, are a fucking son of a bitch. If you can't comment, then don't.

Back to topic, I'm sorry, I can't contain my anger

To my readers: I am so sorry that my story sucks. I reread my story again, and I do realize that there are some weird parts about my main character. Her personality is not really distinguished (you can say that she has a double personality), so if you don't understand what I mean, I shall clarify now.

The main character, Skye, she is a perfectly normal girl who is hurt by her past. She used to be a cheerful person, but because of all the tragedy happening around her, she retreated into her own shell, becoming more quiet and aloof. She stays like that for years until she joins gotei 13 and meet everyone (Renji, Rukia, Ichigo…) and fall in love with Byakuya, which is what help her to eventually open up and become who she used to be. This is the background that I intended for my main character, so I am sorry if all of you don't understand.

And to juliest et tisbe: I want to thank you so much. After reading _that _comment by the bastard, I realized that you added my story to your favorite story list. It really made me feel much, much better.

Anyways, I shall continue posting new chapters, and I really want to finish this fanfic. I am not those kind of people who quite halfway, so….I really really hope all of you can enjoy my story and give CONSTRUCTIVE advice to MY FANFIC.

Thanks for reading my complaints….love you all


	8. Chapter 7: Break

**Hey, i'm sorry i took so long to upload a new chapter, but i am really really busy...it will most likely be like that for the rest of the year. :( Luckily, now is the one week break so hopefully, i have time to post more new chapters! **

**And thanks to everyone of you who love this story and support me. I really really do appreciate you! R/R**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. **

**Skye**

I spent the past two days in the holding cell sleeping. There was nothing much I could do anyway. I couldn't meditate since Hotaru no hikari was taken from me; I couldn't think much because my brain is not functioning; I couldn't escape as I'm forbidden to perform any kidos. I just lay back and blank out.

However, today is different. I heard from the guards that Rukia's execution is pushed forward, and it starts today afternoon. I sighed. How am I going to save her when I'm locked up in this confined area? I can only hope that Ichigo succeeds.

"You don't look good, you know that?"

I perked up at the sound of that familiar voice. "I'm dying of boredom. Where did you go?"

"Training myself so that I have a chance to beat Byakuya."

I stiffened as I heard that name. "So are you saving me or what, Renji?" _Focus. Focus._

"Yeah. I promised to save Rukia with you." He grinned. "Seems like someone cast another kido around this area while you were locked up. It's okay, I dispelled the kido. Do you still need me to help you break out or can you do that by yourself?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stand back." I stretched my right hand forward, palms up facing the steel bars, with my left hand grabbing my right wrist. "Hado spell 31, Shakkaho."

I fired a ball of red energy and walked through the hole created by those bent steel bars.

"Before we go, I need to get my zanpakuto."

"You don't have it with you?"

"Our _captain _locked it up."

**Byakuya**

"Sir, I have a message from the detention centre. The prisoner, Minori Skye, has just escaped from her holding cell, with the help of Abarai Renji."

I waved him off. This was expected from Skye. I had calmed down after two days of thinking. I shouldn't waste my time being angry with her. I took one last look at my deceased wife. "I'm going now Hisana."

**Skye**

"Let me get this straight. You escaped, went to train secretly, achieved bankai, just to fight Byakukya?" I asked unbelievingly. "You got your objective all wrong, idiot! You are supposed to be doing all that to save Rukia!"

Renji scratched his head. "I am. But don't you realize that? In order to save Rukia, I need to be able to defeat Byakuya!"

_This is what I feared. _I thought. That's when we felt it.

"This…this reiatsu…" Renji's sweat dripped onto the ground as he uttered.

I swallowed. "…Byakuya…"

"Where do you both think you're going?" There he is, standing on the roof, looking down at us.

I cursed my luck under my breath. "Holy shit. What a good timing."

At least Renji is brave enough to reply him. "We are going to save Rukia."

"No you're not." Byakuya stated simply.

"We are going." Renji argued. "Won't you let us pass here peacefully?" I leave all the talking to Renji because I know that no matter what intelligent things we say, Byakuya is not going to let us go in peace.

"I won't say the same thing twice."

"Renji, prepare youself." Before I even get to finish my sentence, Byakuya appeared behind us.

"Skye!" Renji narrowed his eyes before blocking Byakuya's zanpakuto with his own, protecting me from the blow. "Who's the one who should prepare? You didn't even draw out your zanpakuto!"

"_Well, are you fighting him or not?"_

_Hotaru no hikari! _I exclaimed, half listening to Renji's talk about senka. _I don't really want to fight…_

"_Make up your mind, Skye. You are here to save Rukia, not offer compassion."_

I bit my lower lip.

"Look at you. What are you so confident about? With that level of strength, did you really think that you can break my blade? Scatter, Senbonz…"

I heard Byakuya gasp. Wow they already started battling. And Renji became stronger, indeed. He prevented Byakuya from releasing, and released his own zanpakuto without calling it's name…

"Renji you're strong." I smirked.

He grinned back at me. "And you realized it now. Go and save Rukia." He turned back to Byakuya. "Bankai!"

I jumped up to the roof, coughing.

"_He can't defeat Byakuya, Skye. You know that." _

"_But…it's his battle! He waited for a long time for this! I reasoned with Hotaru no hikari."_

"_We both know that he just achieved bankai, so he can't stay in that form for long and he haven't learn to full his full power yet." _

I squinted my eyes to see Renji. He doesn't look afraid anymore. I smiled to myself. _You're right, hikari. But this isn't just about saving Rukia. I'm not taking away Renji's once in a lifetime chance to defeat Byakuya. I may not share his enthusiasm, but even I know that it's his fight. _

**Byakuya**

"It's time to end this, Kuchiki Byakuya."

Renji thought he knew my sword inside and out, but he haven't seen my bankai yet. I noticed Skye standing on one of the roofs watching us battle. I had thought that she would help Renji, but apparently this wasn't the quiet and calm Skye. This Skye, with eyes that are alive, is the 'real' one.

After using two kidos, I decided to end this meaningless fight with Renji. "Put away your sword and you will live…unless you're still dreaming about defeating me. Did you forget, or did it not occur to you that I also have bankai?"

**Skye**

I already predicted the outcome, but it still shocked me to see Renji like this. Worse than how he looked after fighting with Ichigo. Renji tried to push up his bloodied body.

I watch in horror as Renji swung his katana towards Byakuya. It didn't pierce through Byakuya, because it broke. And then, just like that, Renji fell on the ground.

"Congratutions, your fang actually reached me." Byakuya threw his white scarf on Renji.

He glanced at me. "So are you going to surrender or do you want to turn out like him?"

I shunpoed to the ground and knelt beside Renji, covering my mouth in shock as I surveyed his injuries.

"_You should have expected this from the very start. Now, regain your composure and let me fight! That Kuchiki actually had the nerve to do such things…"_

"_Hikari, don't." _

"Take a rest. I promise you, we will go and save Rukia together." I said quietly to Renji. With that, I drew my katana and shunpoed in front of Byakuya, who blocked my direct attack with ease.

"You are a fool too, if you think you can defeat me." Byakuya pushed me back.

My eyes glinted. "I may not defeat you, but I didn't fight you to survive." I angled my sword, preparing to attack. "You are a very strange man, Kuchiki Byakuya."

I appeared at his side and tried to cut him horizontally, but shunpoed behind me and cut my shoulder.

"You are not as strong as I thought, Skye. I had high expectations of you, after all you defeated a captain before."

"I had high expectations of you too, but now I realized that you are nothing but a cold bastard." I spat.

"Watch your tongue, Minori." Byakuya said, making no move to attack me. "I will not forgive you for saying such things. You are nothing but a pest."

"Well, if I'm a pest, then you're no better. What do you call someone who forces a kiss onto the pest?" I asked calmly, although a rivulet of indignant venom ran through the words. _You are not the only one who can say that. And I will not forgive you for calling me Minori. _

It feels so good to see Byakuya with an utterly shocked expression on his face. His lips parted slightly, hands twitching and face flushed.

I used this moment to attack. "Hado spell 33, Sokatsui."

Before it hits him, Byakuya vanished. I raised my zanpakuto as he appeared a few feet behind me.

"Chire, Senbonzakura."

"_Release me! You can't defend yourself against that!" Hotaru no hikari screamed at me._

"Bakudo spell 39, Enkosen!" I summoned a shield of condensed reiatsu to block my front.

"Argh…" I gasped at the sudden impact, where the small blades of Senbonzakura cut through my back. I placed my weight on my katana as a balanced myself.

"_Why did you not heed my advice? Now you are hurt! You are going to lose like that…Skye! I don't care whether you want to hurt Byakuya or not, but your objective is to save Rukia!" _

Rukia. I was supposed to save her, but in the midst of facing Byakuya, I forgot. I lifted my katana off the ground. This fight, from the very start, is about Rukia. Like it or not, I need to win because of Rukia.

"Shine, Hotaru no Hikari!"

I watched as we are surrounded by blinding white light. Byakuya closed his eyes. He dropped his zanpakuto. "Bankai."

This is bad. Terrible. Disastrous. He activated bankai without prompting? I watched as my light dimmed and finally disappeared. He stopped my shikai just like that.

"Chire, Senbonzakura kageyoshi."

"_Use bankai now! You will be even worse than Renji if you fight him in shikai." _

"Bankai!" I said quietly. I can feel warm light surrounding me. I did not want to use bankai on Byakuya. I didn't even want to fight him. For some reason, it hurts me to know that we are fighting. It hurts me to know that he actually use his bankai on me. I am torn between two decisions. One, to let him defeat me so as to spare me the pain of dragging this battle. Two, to fight with my all and save Rukia.

Then, a thought struck me. Maybe Byakuya was forced to choose sides too. He just chose the opposite from me.

**Byakuya**

Everything happened so quickly. It wasn't really a surprise when she activated her bankai. I have been looking forward to seeing her bankai, but not like this. I never pictured us fighting, fighting for real. Even after what she said to me, I didn't want to hurt her.

The light faded. One glance at her, and I am awe struck. The person standing in front of me, is it really Skye? Her shinigami robes turned white, and she's now wearing a cloak made of entirely white feathers. Everything on her is white, except for hair, which is now light purple. A feathery hood covered her head, but her hair was pushed in front of her, shoulder length on her left, and waist length on her right. Her fringe was longer and covered her right eye. She is the exact replica of…an angel.

She didn't give me time to admire her form. Raising her zanpakuto, Skye shouted, "Defy, Hotaru no Kiete Hikari!"

Her reiatsu raises in an unbelieving rate, and before I knew it, Senbonzakura, with all the thousands of small blades, were floating around me. Her glowing white sword is now pointing at me, directing _my _blades. "What did you do, Skye?" I tried to maintain calm and decipher the situation at the same time.

"How does it feel, to be injured by your own attack?" Skye asked me bitterly.

Something in my head clicked. "Your bankai…It controls your opponents' attacks."

"For someone who is so sure of himself, you don't look so sure now."

"You do not really expect to defeat me just like that, do you?" I asked casually, though I'm mentally panicking how to stop her control. I tried to call back my zanpakuto, but it doesn't react.

"Why?" She cried out. "Why are you not saving Rukia? She is your sister! You can't get another Rukia anymore if this one dies! She will be gone. Do you understand? GONE!"

"I am well aware of that." Quickly, I shunpoed away from my surrounding blades, ignoring the pain of my own blades cutting through me. If I can't use my katana…

"Bakudo spell 63, Sajo Sabaku."

She tensed. Releasing her control over my sword, she yelled, "Bakudo spell 81, Danku!"

I made use of the time where she blocked my kido and shunpoed behind her. Closing my eyes, I pierced my blade through her.

**Skye**

Everything happened in a slow motion. Too caught up in my own emotions, I forced myself to use that advanced kido spell in which I still do not have much experience with. Focusing on controlling my kido, I didn't notice Byakuya appearing behind me and then, I feel something tear in me. It wasn't painful, at first, just me wondering what the hell was going on. And when I finally looked down, and see something red on my white hakama, I knew. That's when I felt the agonising pain in my stomach.

I reached out my arm, trying hard to grasp something solid before I fall on the ground, unconscious. Everything disappeared from my sight except for one face.

**Byakuya**

I am the only one looking as her blood stained her white shinigami robes. It was a small red circle at first, but it spreads rapidly and in a few seconds, it grew into a blood red camellia. Her eyes, filled with rage when she activated bankai, now filled with sorrow as she desperately reached out her arm.

Without registering a single thought, I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me, for the second time. Gently, I placed her body on the ground. Her sword clattered as it fell from her grasp. Her shinigami robes turned black and her cloak disappeared. All that is left are feathers, a pile of white feathers spreading on the ground, some dyed in red. I touched her face, so soft, so warm.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

Her eyelids fluttered for a second. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

And with that, she let go of my hand.

**Skye**

I don't know how long it took for me to regain consciousness. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the sudden light. Groaning, I raised my right hand over my head to block the sunlight.

"Skye. Skye. Hey, are you alright?"

I opened my eyes again. Light, a myriad of colours, flooded in. It took me a while to focus on the person in front of me.

"Ren…ji." I managed.

"Good. You're fine. Listen. About Rukia…"

Hearing her name, I feel immediately awakened. "Rukia! How is she? Is she…ouch…argh…"

I bit my lower lips as I tried to stand. Renji helped me up. "I don't know. I'm heading over now. Can you take care of yourself?" He gave me a onceover. "You are not in good shape."

"I know." I said as I struggled to raise my heavy arm to secure my katana behind my back. "Okay. Let's go and save her."

"No." Renji stopped me before I could take a step forward. "I will save Rukia. You're hurt worse than me. Go to the 4th division. I'll take care of everything from now on."

"Sheesh. You don't have to grab me this hard. It's not like I will struggle or anything..." I complained. "No matter…I need to save her…"

"You don't. I will take care of that. Go and treat your wounds now." Renji said, this time more forcefully. "Listen to me, Skye. You can't do anything in this condition. I need to go now. The execution is almost starting…"

"I know. Just go." I replied agitatedly.

As I walked to the 4th division, I attacked my brain, trying to find answers to my actions. Why did I get so emotional? Why didn't I put in my all to save Rukia? Why am I in this state?

"_The answer, my dear, lies in the man who happens to be your captain." Hikari said._

"Stop roaming free in my head." I forced my zanpakuto away. However, she's right. Kuchiki Byakuya is the answer to all my problems. He occupies more and more of my thoughts. I thought of the last words he said to me before I fainted. Was it 'I'm sorry', or 'Forgive me'? _And he almost killed me. _I gritted my teeth at this.

But, no matter what despicable things he did, I forgive him. I don't feel like stabbing him in the chest, which I would if he is not Byakuya. I shook my head, chasing away these thoughts. _But how could you risk Rukia just not hurt him? _

Then, suddenly, something infiltrated my thoughts. "This is futaicho Kotetsu Isane of the 4th division speaking. An emergency situation has occurred. This emergency transmission is under the authority of Unohana taicho of the 4th division and myself. Please listen carefully, everything I am about to say…is true."

I shunpoed to Soukyoku hill with Hotaru no Hikari in released state.

"_Skye, are you okay? You don't have to worry, everyone is rushing there. Rukia will be fine." _

"_No she will not! And this is not about Rukia!" I screamed in my mind. "That bastard…I knew it!" _I pressed on my wounds to lessen the pain.

"_Skye…" _

"_Stop it, Hikari! I am going to ask for a reason this time, since that son of a bitch is not going to die." _

Hotaru no hikari quieten down, noting that I want to be left alone. In fact, there is nothing I want more than being left alone. I don't want to know anybody anymore. No one I knew stayed in my life forever. I came to an abrupt stop as I reached my destination. Salvaging the sight in front of me, I could do not but gasp.

Renji and Ichigo were there, lying on the ground, and of course, covered in blood. _Rukia. Where's Rukia? _I forced myself to look for her, preparing to see worse things. And I did. Byakuya was there too, on the ground. His kenseikan was not on his head. I pinched myself, making sure that all these things I saw was true.

"Ahh…Minori san! It's a pleasure to see you here! Do you want to witness the death of Kuchiki Rukia with your own eyes?" I saw Aizen holding a terrified looking Rukia by her neck. "Try again, Gin."

"Shoot her, Shinsou." I watched in horror as Gin's zanpakuto shot forward. Not thinking twice, I shunpoed forward and blocked his extending sword just before it hits Rukia. I heard it. The small cracking of my zanpakuto as it breaks.

"Skye chan!"

I didn't reply Rukia as I stared at the man before me. The man I once knew. His smile was no longer there. "Gin."

"What are ya doing here, Skye chan?" His wide, mocking smile returned. "You're badly hurt!"

"Why?" I croaked. "Why?" I repeated louder.

"My my, looks like you are having a small reunion. I hate to spoil the party, but we need to go soon, Gin. Why don't you kill her too?" I heard Aizen's menacing laughter.

Ignoring Aizen, I lowered my broken zanpakuto. "Ichimaru Gin! Answer me!" I shouted, covering my mouth with my free hand. "Why?" I felt pain wash through me, so different from the physical one Byakuya inflicted on me hours ago.

"I'm sorry, Sora chan." Gin's smile faltered slightly. "Shoot her, Shinsou."

"Skye chan!" I heard Rukia scream behind me. I saw Gin's zanpakuto inching towards me. But I could do nothing. I _did _nothing. I just stood there, waiting for the pain to come. My eyes never left Gin's face. Everything, all the promises, all the betrayals, all the sorrow, all the grieve, all the walls I built came crashing down on me.

When a heart breaks, it's silent. I always thought it should make the loudest sound in the world, or something ceremonious, like the clashing of the cymbal. It feels so violent, like a shark thrashing in the ocean, a mother bear howling, that my body shakes uncontrollably. But no, no matter how broken it is, how painful you feel, it's silent.

I watched in silence as his zanpakuto pierced through me. Surprisingly, I felt nothing. No pain is as unbearable as how it feels like when a heart breaks.

**That's the end for now...I think my chapters are not very long, what do you all think? Please review and give me motivation to write! I really need them! thanks a lot. 0.o**


	9. Chapter 8: Paranoid

**Hey. sorry for taking so long. new term just started and now i have stupid pw. and hell...i'm supposed to come up with preliminary ideas but ended up finishing this chapter. oh well...enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. **

**Byakuya**

The moon illuminates the room, reflecting the shape of the window on the hospital bed. My mind kept drifting to Skye, wondering how she was doing. Some shinigami from the 4th division told me that Skye's physical condition is stable, though the injuries are not completely healed. However, he made no comment on her mental stability when I asked.

I was worried for her. How would she take in the news of Ichimaru's betrayal? They were a pair previously, I wonder if Skye still wants to maintain their relationship after he's gone. _I won't forgive you, Ichimaru, for what you've done to Skye. _I vowed.

**Rukia**

"Skye chan, how are you?" I poked my head into her ward.

She looked blankly at the white wall facing her. I walked in and placed my flowers a vase at the side of her bed.

"I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life. And I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

Still, no response. She doesn't even look like she's heard me. I fumbled with the fabric of my shihakusho, not knowing what to do. After telling me about Kara, I realized that Skye is not like what everyone's described. She's troubled.

And she looked even more tormented now. I saw her crumble under Ichimaru Gin, begging him with her eyes. I saw her pain and anguish at Gin's silence response. I heard it. I heard her heart shatter. I'm not someone that pries into other people's problems, but there's something between Skye and Gin. They are definitely closer than a captain subordinate relationship.

How Skye is this close to Ichimaru Gin, I have no idea. I don't even know how anyone wants to be close to him. He scares me. Not to mention my unfortunate encounter with him on the day of my execution.

"You need to rest. I will visit you again tomorrow, Skye chan." I moved towards the door. I don't understand her feelings, and I can't help her. _There's nothing I can do for her_, I thought sadly.

Turning back my head, I realized Skye haven't moved from her position. Didn't even blink. Then I had an idea.

Moving again to sit next to Skye, I hugged her. "There's a story I want to share with you. It's about my futaicho, Kaien Shiba."

**Skye**

Listening to Rukia's story, I felt slightly comforted. It's like knowing that someone had shared somewhat the same experience as you, felt somewhat the same feelings as you. It meant a lot to me, knowing that I'm not alone.

She didn't cry when she recounted her past to me, nor did she cry when she finished. Perhaps she felt exactly like I did when Gin betrayed me. We cried so hard deep inside that all the tears dried up.

Finally focusing on Rukia, I brushed my fingers gently against her cheek. "Thank you for telling me this."

**Byakuya**

"You probably wish that I were dead…"

"No…If you were to die, I would no longer have a reason to become stronger." Renji replied me from across the room.

Seireitei is as busy today. Everything looked quite the same. Any outsider would not believe that a few days ago Seireitei was betrayed by three captains. I observed the streets from the window as Renji informed me of the administrative matters in the 6th division.

"Taicho, I need to tell you something important." Renji's voice suddenly became softer. I looked at him to give him my acknowledgement. "It's about Skye."

That draws my attention. I inhaled sharply, preparing for what he had to say. "She's not talking or eating since she's woken up. Rukia told me last night that Skye looked better after she talked to her. But as far as I'm concerned, she is not better at all…"

"What is your purpose for telling me this?"

"I thought…I thought you cared for…you know…her…" Renji gulped, sensing that he's spoken something wrong.

"That is none of your business."

He scratched his head. "Yeah…I know…I'm worried about Skye. A lot of people are worried for her. I hope…you know…that you can talk to her…"

"What makes you think that I could knock some sense in her?"

"I know." Renji smiled at me reassuringly. "I just know."

"…"

"Besides, you are her captain. Shouldn't you make sure that your 3rd seat is capable of completing tasks?"

I sighed. "Go and see whether Skye is fit to see me now."

**Skye**

Byakuya was wearing a white hakama, exactly like mine. His scarf and kenseikan are nowhere to be seen. But I like him this way. He's just Byakuya, not _the _Byakuya from the Kuchiki family.

"I should…erm…give the two of you some privacy?" Renji hurried away from Byakuya's ward. _I came because I was ordered to, not because I wanted. _I kept reminding myself as I gave Byakuya an onceover.

"Byakuya taicho." I greeted him.

He glanced at me. "How are you?"

I was slightly surprised by his question. "My injuries are almost healed…and I am feelin–"

"Renji mentioned that you are neither eating nor talking these few days."

"I talked to you, didn't I?" I tilted my head to the right. "I never eat much, so there's no need to worry."

Byakuya stayed silent as he looked outside the window. "What about you, taicho?" I can't help but feel happy that he looks normal now. Like he and I are at the same level.

"I'm fine." He replied. "I need you to eat more and take extra care of yourself. We are currently short of officers and you will be extremely busy after you return to work."

"Hai. If there's nothing more, I will leave now."

Byakuya held out a hand and motioned me closer instead. After I moved beside his bed, he cleared his throat and said, "As your captain, I need to know whether you are emotionally capable of working the next few days."

"Of course I am." I said each word slowly, slightly confused by what he meant. "What do you mean by that?"

"It is concerning your relationship with the ex third division taicho, Ichimaru Gin." He refrained from looking at me when he said that.

I cursed silently. "What is my relationship with Ichimaru taicho?"

"Do you treat me as a fool?" Byakuya narrowed his eyes at me.

"Then there's nothing to talk about." Not wanting to argue anymore, I left without his consent.

**Byakuya**

"You may leave this evening." Unohana said to me a few minutes ago.

I can't get Skye's question out of my head. '_What is my relationship with Ichimaru taicho?'_

To think I actually found this girl attractive. Spending my time resting these few days gave me plenty of time to think about what happened. I had to admit that I felt attracted to Skye. I wanted her to feel the same way about me. I wanted her to see only me. I wanted to protect her. Mentioning about Ichimaru made my blood boil.

I closed my eyes. This is what I feared to admit all along.

_I love her. _

**Skye**

Hitsugaya looked at me with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

I shrugged. "Unohana taicho said that I was free to go."

"No, I mean what are you doing here, in my division?"

I spotted Matsumoto. "Ah, there she is! Matsumoto san!"

"Call me Rangiku. Want to drink sake with taicho, Kira and me?" She raised the bottle in her hands.

"Of course!" I clasped my hands together. "That is precisely why I wanted to find you!"

As I walked towards Matsumoto, Hitsugaya sighed. "Whatever. Count me out of this."

I burped. "Do you have anymore, Rangiku? Rangiku?" I shaked her body.

"She's out." Kira mumbled as he slumped onto the table.

I giggled as I stood up shakily. "I needa go now…there's no more sake. Nah uh. And I'm not even drunk yet…"

As I walked towards my division barracks, I felt lightheaded. My brain can't seem to think properly and I actually love this feeling. _Screw it. This feels great! _I raised both of my hands in the air. "Weeeeeeee!" I shouted into the empty streets as the wind carried my voice away.

"Skye chan, are you feeling okay?"

I turned around abruptly. "Yeah yeah. I feel more than okay. I feel great! Haha." I danced around. "Who are you?" I stared at the blurry face in front of me.

"Hisagi. You are drunk, Skye chan. Let me escort you back." He grabbed my arm and led the way. I continued giggling as I staggered along.

"You know something, Hisagi? Guys are jerks. All of them. Take my advice and don't ever get a boyfriend."

He stopped and looked at me weirdly. "I am a guy."

"Oh…Hisagi, you are a guy?" I giggled again. "You are a guy! I am a girl, and you are a…" I paused and pointed at him. "You are a guy?"

He nodded.

"Stay away from me, Hisagi!" I screamed as I ran away from him.

"Skye chan! Why are you…You will get hurt like that…Drunk and alone on the streets at night. Skye chan!" I ran even faster after realizing that Hisagi was chasing me.

"Stay away from me! Stay away…" I felt something pull my hand. I almost fell at the appearance of that sudden force, but something grabbed my waist and I balanced.

I turned around to see Hisagi pause a few feet away from me. "Skye chan…"

"Stay away from me, you are a guy!" I spat as I hid behind the something that grabbed me a few seconds ago.

"What is going on here?"

This voice is oddly familiar… "I'm sorry, Byakuya taicho. Skye chan appears to drunk, and I am trying to escort her back to her division."

"I could hear the both of you from a few blocks away. You can go now. I will escort her back."

"Hai." With that, Hisagi disappeared and I felt myself being dragged again.

"Wha…Are you a guy?" I looked up at the person.

"Do you not recognize me?" I continued to stare at the person. "I am your captain."

"my captain? But my captain is Byakuya Kuc…ano…you are Byakuya taicho?"

He stopped. "Why are you so drunk, Skye?"

I covered my mouth in surprise, all signs of my lightheadedness faded when I realize who he is. My brain started to function again, to my disappointment. _Shit shit shit. _I cringed away from him, hiding my face with my hair to prevent him from seeing me in embarrassment.

"Answer me." He said authoritatively.

"…forget…" I mumbled.

His grip on me tightened to prevent me from swaying. Though my mind is clear, my body is still in a trance. "What?"

"Forget." My voice hardened. "Don't touch me." I don't want to break down in front of Byakuya.

"Look at me." His voice was harsh. Unwillingly, I willed myself to turn. "What do you want to forget?"

"You." I stared at him defiantly, not wanting to show him any weakness. "I want to forget about you."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend you don't know anything. You are the one who called me a slut, caused me to bleed, and deemed me unworthy to be in your division. I couldn't have hated you more."

My wrists, still held down by Byakuya, felt like they are about to break, but I didn't stop babbling to Byakuya. "Yes you heard me. I hate you, Kuchiki Byakuya. Now, let. Go. Of. Me."

I tried to pull away, but within a second, Byakuya threw me against the wall, his body pressing onto mine, forcing me to stand. My heart automatically pumped faster, blood rising to my cheeks.

"You know what I think of you? You are pathetic. You just ran away every time something happens. You hide in your shell, pretending nothing happened, and now you blame me for your pain. The 6th division does not need someone as weak as you." He stood back and looked at me in distaste. "You need to face reality. Ichimaru Gin is gone. He left. If you want to stay in my division, make sure you deal with your emotions and treat him as an enemy the next time you face him, not as a lover."

I pushed him away from me and let myself get taken away by anger. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" I screamed. "You don't know a damn thing about me! And how many times must I tell you: THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND ICHIMARU! Ichimaru…Ichimaru….he's…I can't believe it….he just left me…he promised…HE PROMISED NOT TO LEAVE ME!" I wailed. That's when I noticed that I am crying. And I thought I was incapable of shedding tears.

I wasn't aware that Byakuya is witnessing my hysteria. It's just me and my pain. Each sob didn't release pain, it brought more of it. More of the things I'd hidden from, had pushed away, pushed down, push behind me were cascading out in an embarrassing mess. Mess. I was making a mess. And I couldn't stop. I covered my mouth with my hands and knelt down on the ground, my legs unable to support the heavy burden. I didn't know how long I stayed in this position, when my weeping became little hiccups, because after crying my eyes out, I collapsed.

**Rukia**

I was walking back to my room when I saw onii sama carrying an unconscious Skye into the guest room. What happened to her? Why did he bring her to the manor?

"Onii sama, what is Skye chan doing here?"

He was looking at the servants covering Skye with a blanket as he spoke to me. "She will be spending tonight here." He turned his attention to one of the servants. "Take care of her. She will be here in this bed tomorrow. Do not let her wander out of this manor." He took one last look at Skye before leaving.

I waited until onii sama and the servants left the room before approaching the sleeping girl. She reeked of alcohol, and her face was stained with streaks of dried tears.

I smiled lightly as I thought about what I've seen a few minutes ago. Was that affection I saw on Byakuya's face when he looked at Skye?

**Skye**

I tossed and turned. My head is unbelievably pain. I tired to remember what happened last night. Drunk…I was drunk…then something about Hisagi and Byakuya…Oh shit. Byakuya. My eyes shot open. I embarrassed the hell out of myself in front of him. I sat up, glancing at the surroundings.

The room is big, with rosy pink walls. _I hate pink. _It took me a few minutes to locate the door. I slid it open and came face to face with a middle aged woman. She was carrying a tray and looking at me curiously.

"You've woken up, Minori san. Please get into the room, I've prepared some medicine to ease your pain."

"Please call me Skye." I watched her walk in and place the tray on the table stand. I shaded my eyes from the Sun as I swayed back to the bed. _I'm having an awful hangover. _I thought as I sat down on the futon. "Where am I? Who are you? What time is it?"

"Take it easy, girl." She passed me a glass of water and a white pill. "You need some sleep." After making sure that I ate my medicine, she answered my questions. "I'm one of the servants, you can call me Juuri. You are currently staying in the Kuchiki manor. Byakuya sama brought you here last night and instructed us to take care of you. You are not supposed to go to work today, so I suggest you get some sleep and wait for Byakuya sama to come back. It won't be long, I suppose, as it is already four."

I am in Byakuya's house? I gasped in horror. After what happened last night, I don't want to see him anymore. Gosh, he must have thought I'm an idiot. Actually, he already made that point clear.

Filled with dread, I let myself be overcome by drowsiness.

**Rukia**

Nothing could describe how I felt when I saw that. I clasped my hands around my mouth in shock. Was that real? Taking a few seconds to calm down, I replayed the whole scene in my head again.

"_Dinner is ready, Rukia san. Could you please call your brother to come too?" _

"_Hai. Arigato, Mizuki san!" I smiled at the servant. _

…_.._

"_Nii sa…" The words were stuck in my throat. Byakuya was standing at the corridor, looking down so intently that he didn't even notice my riatsu. Curious, I looked down. And I saw Skye, standing under the cherry __blossom trees. My breath caught in my throat. She is so beautiful and unreal. I glanced at Byakuya. Yup, he definitely feel the same as I do now. _

"_Nii sama!" I called out again. "Byakuya nii sama!" _

_Finally, he turned. I got a full view of his slate grey eyes. It was fading rapidly, but I caught it. His eyes were shining with indescribable light that I haven't seen before. The way he looked at Skye just now…something clicked in my head. _

I gulped in large amounts of oxygen. My brother, in love with my friend? Something just doesn't add up. But somehow, I feel right.

**Byakuya**

"I specifically told the servants not to let you wander around. You should be resting." I put on my best façade and looked at Skye.

"I'm not tired." She replied simply, not looking at me. "Can I go back now?"

I frowned. "Why? Is the hospitality not good enough for you?"

"No…It's just that…it's just…" She hesitated before looking me in the eye. "My room is at the 6th division barracks, taicho. And I shouldn't be here anyway…Sorry for causing you trouble."

"If it is your wish to return, then you may. Make sure you are ready to work by tomorrow." I turned and walked away as much as my heart protests.

"Ano…Byakuya taicho. There's another thing." I stopped. "Could you forget about what happened the night before? Thanks."

In a flash, she was gone. "That was the first time I've seen the real you, Skye. How could you ask me to forget?" I murmured to myself.

….

"Nii sama, where is Skye chan?"

"She went back." I replied simply. Even though I didn't look at her, I know that Rukia is shifting uncomfortably as she sat there picking at her food.

"What is it, Rukia?"

"Oh!" Her chopsticks dropped from her hand as she registered my voice. "I…mmm…its nothing, nii sama. I was just…distracted…"

Sighing, I put down my chopsticks as I gave Rukia my full attention. "You are not very good at lying."

She finally caught my gaze, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Umm…it's really nothing. Please don't bother yourself, nii –"

"Rukia." I interrupted her with a dangerous tone. I was not usually this persistent with Rukia, but there's something about this that I didn't like.

Finally getting the hint that I am dead serious, she gave up. "I was…well…you know…" She started babbling. After what felt like hours, she finally got to the point. "I saw you…you…staring…oh I mean looking…or maybe glancing at…umm her…and…well something's…not right…I feel…or maybe…"

"You mean you saw me looking at Skye." I summarized for her. "And you think something is wrong."

Looking at me with hunched shoulders, as if I would explode any moment, Rukia nodded meekly.

I stood up and headed for the door, not giving her another glance.

"Byakuya nii sama…" I paused. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" I asked even though I had a very good idea on what she's going to ask.

"Love her."

My hands twitched at the rawness of those words. As I was contemplating on how to answer her, Rukia walked past me and turned back, giving me a small, all-too-knowing smile. "It's okay, I already know the answer."

**Skye**

Staring at the moon, I thought about what happened over the last two days.

'_Apparently, a lot.' Hotaru no hikari mocked me. _

"Shut up." I mumbled. I had gotten drunk, shouted at my captain, called him by his full name despite our huge difference in status, stayed at his manor, and just realized that I maybe…just maybe…have feelings for him.

'_just maybe?'_

"Argh." I silently cursed. Everything about this is wrong. I shouldn't feel this way. My heart shouldn't beat any faster. Maybe its just physical attraction; or curiousness. Whatever it is, it is not love. I can only love one person. Taeda.

'_Do you? You don't even think of him now.' _

I clutched my head in frustration. "You are not making this any better, Hikari."

'_You are so dense, my dear.' She chuckled. _

"Not funny." I put my zanpakuto next to the wall and jumped onto the futon. "I'm so confused. Argh…"

'_Just follow your heart.' _

"That's the last thing I'm doing." I mumbled through the blankets. "My heart is shit."

'…'

Just when I thought Hikari is shutting up, she spoke, so quietly, I thought I was dreaming.

'_I've seen your heart break twice. I don't want to witness it again.' _

Her soothing words, like a lullaby, sent me into a deep slumber before I could comprehend what she meant.

**R/R please! **

**okay so i realised that i didn't really talk about my oc's background...resulting in some confusion...so i shall talk about it in the next chapter. The reason why i didn't write my oc's past was because i don't know whether you readers would like to read it. usually i would just skip the background when reading other fanfic so...please just tell me whether you would like to know Skye's past in great detail or something...so i can decide how long I should write. **

**yup, that's all. till next time T.T**


	10. Chapter 9: Perspectives

**Hello hello! it's been a while. I AM REALLY REALLY SORRY TO ALL MY READERS! I was super busy with school and everything. Anyway i just finished my exams, which i am positively sure that i'll fail, so...there you go, a new chapter. [: **

**I can't promise that I'll post the next chapter soon, seeing I will be super busy AGAIN. So I just hope that you can wait patiently. I know, I am really sorry. **

**Well, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. **

**Skye **

_She cleansed herself in the river. She felt a riatsu approaching, but could not be bothered to hide her body from the intruder. _

"_Minori." _

_She leaned her head back to wash her hair. _

"_Minori."_

_Her fingers gently massaged her scalp. _

"_You have been washing for almost an hour." He stated quietly. _

"…"

"_You'll get a cold if you continue submerging yourself in the waters." His eyes glistened in the moonlight. "Get out of there, Minori. Please." _

"…"

_Finally registering his futile attempts to convince her to stop bathing, he became serious. "Skye. Get out of the river now." _

_She turned her head, staring blankly at his dark form leering in the shadows. After a minute, she continued her administrations. _

"_Fuck." He swore under his breathe. With angry strides, he came in front of her and pulled her up forcefully. "Get out. Now." He tossed the towel to her, averting his gaze from her naked form. _

_Her lifeless eyes gazed right through him. She stayed like that, staring at nothingness, until he got irritated again. He grabbed the towel and dried her himself, blushing slightly when he touched her intimate parts. She didn't resist. In fact, she didn't even seem to notice his actions. When he was done, he wrapped his cloak around her, knowing that her clothes were bloodied. _

"_Skye." He grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. Snapping back to her senses, she took a while to register her surroundings. Realising that she was wearing his cloak, she snarled. "How dare you." _

"_You didn't object." _

"_Fuck you, Taeda." She proceeded to remove to cloak and dipped her foot into the cold river water again, only to be stopped by him. _

"_Let go." She glared dangerously at his hand grabbing her wrists. _

"_Stop torturing yourself, Minori." He said quietly. _

"_LET GO." _

"_It's not your fault. She only did that to protect you." _

"_DAMN IT! LET ME GO!" She twisted her wrists in every way possible to get out of his grasp, as if his hands were burning her skin. _

_A frown appeared on his face. "I understand your feelings. Why don't you cal–" _

_Her face, livid with anger, tilted up so that she can look him in the eyes. "Calm down? Would you care to tell me how the fuck do you think you understand my feelings?" _

"_I…" _

"_How did you feel when you killed your sister, by your own hands? How did you feel as you watch her die?" Her eyes glistened with tears. "Enlighten me." _

_His face was distorted in pain as he watched her silently as tears began pouring from her eyes. _

"_Oh I forgot. You don't have a sister." She spoke sarcastically, trying in vain to protect her pride. He did not allow himself to get angry with her comment. He saw through her weakness. Instead, he pulled her towards him and enveloped her into a hug. "It's okay to cry sometimes." He soothed her. "Shh…It's okay." _

I shot up from the comforts of my bed. Heaving, I calmed myself down. 'It's just a dream.' I repeated over and over again.

Rubbing my head, I walked towards the bathroom.

"_You do realize that I am naked, right?" she arched her eyebrows. _

_He blinked. "Oh." Blushing from embarrassment, he let go of her and turned, allowing her some privacy to change. _

_She chuckled softly as she wiped her cheeks of her now-dried tears. "Where did your decency come from? The last time I remember, you were practically prying off my clothes." _

_He groaned. "You are indescribable. I'll be waiting for you at the hut." _

_Sensing that he is really gone, her smile disappeared. She looked at her reflection in the still water. 'Who is she?' She wondered. Just then, a droplet of rain fell into the river, forming ripples in the water. Her reflection blurred. Looking up at the sky, she signed. "The sky is crying." _

"Stop it! Stop it!" I banged my head against the wall. Why can't I stop thinking about it?

"Skye. Are you in there?" Knock. More Knocks. "Skye! I'm coming in!"

"Argh…I'm fine…I'll –" Before I get to finish my sentence, Renji barged in.

I quickly slipped on my shinigami robes and walked out of the bathroom. He almost choked on his own saliva. "What the hell! What are you…nevermind."

I thought his face can never get any redder. Hiding back a smile, I hurriedly arranged my robes so that my skin is properly covered. "You can turn around now. I look decent." I said monotonically.

"Whoa whoa…and you can't get any more enthusiastic then this." He mumbled sarcastically.

"Do you have a reason as to why you are barging into my room early in the morning?"

"Yeah…"He began to look serious. "Someone wants to see you."

I looked at the door with the big "one" printed on it. 'It's now or never,' I thought. I pushed the wooden door and stepped inside the shaded room.

Before I even got the chance to greet, Yamamoto soutaicho coughed. "Well, let's get to the topic, shall we?" He turned to a petite figure standing next to him.

"Minori Skye." The figure slowly walked out of the shadows. "Are you willing to share whatever information you hold, or do you wish to be forced?"

I tilted my head. "What do you mean, taicho?"

Yamamoto soutaicho raised his hand. "I'll explain, soi-fong." He peered at me. "You see, we called you here as of regard to the commotion a few days ago. Everyone is well aware of Kaname and Ichimaru being Aizen's apprentice. And there has been some concern over the last couple of days raised by various captains questioning your loyalty…"

Soi-fong narrowed her eyes at me. "I would like to personally interrogate you, Minori san."

_It's Skye, not Minori. _Without batting an eyelid, I nodded my head in resolution. "Well then, the sooner we finish this, the better."

"Another thing. Considering the state of soul society at this stage, we cannot afford any hiding of information by you. So if you could collaborate with us…."

"I would need Tsuki to help with the interrogation." Soi-fong interrupted again.

This time, I couldn't help to form a glare.

"You don't even trust me enough to tell you the truth that you need Tsuki san to infiltrate my brains?"

"We can't afford to take risks." Yamamoto soutaicho affirmed. "And it is also to your best interests that all doubts towards you are cleared."

"Fine." I avoided revealing any emotions to them.

At my consent, Soi-fong hands me a blindfold. "You are not supposed to know the location of the Executive Militia headquarters."

**Byakuya**

"Do you think she's alright?"

My hands twitched, itching to slap Renji just to get him to shut up. "She is fine." As I opened the door to my office, a shinigami covering his face kneed in front of me, holding out a piece a paper.

Glancing through the contents in the paper, I drew back a sharp breath. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Taicho requested your consent over this. Minori san already signed the agreement."

At the mention of Skye, Renji immediatey focused on the piece of paper. "What does it say? What did Skye agree on?"

"Get out of my office, Renji. This is not matters concerning you." I replied harshly. Making sure that he is out of earshot, I questioned the shinigami again. "Why is there a need to ask Tsuki to interrogate her? She had not committed any serious crimes."

"Soul society needs assurance, especially in times like this. I'm sure you understand Soi-fong taicho's rationale. If you could kindly give your consent, the whole process will be over soon."

I couldn't believe that Skye would willingly give her consent without a fight. Did she even know what Tsuki can do to her? Hesitantly, I signed the papers.

Shaking my head, I started on my paperwork. 'I hope you are alright, Skye.'

**Skye**

"AHHHHHH! STOP IT! GET OUT OF ME!" I screamed. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!" Losing whatever control I had over myself, I screamed and cursed during the entire interrogation process.

I can hear Soi-fong ordering her troops to restrain me. I can feel Tsuki slashing her way through my mind, messing around with my memories.

After an agonizingly long time, I felt myself slumping onto the ground. Breathing deeply and trying to ignore the scotching feeling inside my brain, I reached out desperately to grab my sword for some reassurance.

"I thought you said it would only take an hour." I strained my voice as I said that.

"It only took half an hour." Soi-fong looked at me. "I will report everything to the Soutaicho tomorrow morning. Other than that…Tsuki! Bring her back."

I tried to stand, but my knees buckled under me. Who would have thought it would be this painful? It felt like someone riping my head apart as Tsuki advanced in my brain just now.

"I'm sorry, Minori san." I felt someone pulling me up. Forcing my eyes to open, I saw a dark-haired shingami around my height.

"There's nothing to apologize about. You are merely doing your job." I growled at the sudden pain in my head. "Would you just get me out of here so I can rest?"

The thought of lying down in my bed appealed to me so much that I forced myself to endure the pain and shunpo together with her.

"Don't push yourself too hard." She said softly. "Where do I leave you?"

I tried to tell her the directions to my barracks, but nothing came out of my mouth. Noticing my difficulty, she squeezed my arm, as if it can make it all better. "It's okay. You will feel better after you sleep. I'll leave you in your division then. Your taicho should know where put you."

"She is…hai…I am aware…hai…hai…" I vaguely heard the conversation between Tsuki and Byakuya as I laid there on the office couch. As soon as I heard the door slam, I tried to get up. "I'm sorry, taicho. I can –"

"You need rest. I'll wake you up later." Upon hearing his deep, velvet voice, my mind drift away from consciousness.

_She sat on a rock, scrutinizing the blonde hair guy in front of her. He is staring at a small yellow flower growing among the tall grass. _

_There is something off about him. Something different that she can't point out. He's been acting like this, ever since her sister died. She has finally come to terms with her sister's death. It's not her fault, like he said. _

"_Taeda." She called out softly. _

_He didn't respond. She gave a small frown. Things are really looking weird. Taeda is the sharpest guy she has ever known. But his mind kept wondering off these days. He is not with her, even when they made love. _

"_Everything is okay." She gently slapped her cheek. "Stop thinking too much. Taeda probably just misses Kara as much as I did. It's okay. It's okay, Skye." _

"_Skye." I looked up. "What are you doing, talking to yourself like that?" _

"_Oh. I was just…" She smiled. "Nevermind. Can you train me now?" _

_He walked towards her and pressed his lips against hers. She responded immediately. He kissed her hard, hands in her hair, not giving her any time to catch her breath before sliding his tongue into her. _

"_Mmm…ahh…Taeda…mmm…" She tried to push him away. As much as she wanted to continue, she has to train. "Hey…train me…remember?" _

_Finally removing his tongue from her mouth, he went on to kiss her jaw, nibbling it gently. _

"_Taeda…we need to train…ummm…." _

_He growled and moved on to kiss her ear. "I want you, now." He whispered seductively. She shuddered under his breath. _

"_Ummm…" _

_He bit her earlobe while roaming his hands all over his body. . _

"_Ta…ahh.." She moaned. Unable to resist the temptations any longer, she pressed herself onto him. "Uhh…yeah..i'm sure it can wait…" _

_Upon hearing her give her consent, he bit her neck, hard, drawing blood. She screamed. _

"_I love you so much." She panted into his ear. _

_He froze, stopping his administrations. Slowly, he looked at her, his eyes unreadable. After a few moments, he smiled. "I know." _

_As he continued kissing his way down, she can't help but feel a pang in her heart. Did she imagine it, or did the smile on his face look forced? 'Stop thinking so much.' She scolded herself inwardly._

I woke up in sweat. Looking around, I noticed that I'm in a very familiar room. And that's…Byakuya's office. Great. The last person I want to see.

"Taicho…"

"You are awake." Byakuya was sorting out his paperwork, not even bothering to glance at me. "How is your head?"

I rubbed my temples. "Yeah, it feels better. Thanks for…you know…letting me rest here." I tilted my lips.

He stopped and looked at me. "Do you want me to accompany you back to your room?"

No, I don't. "If it's alright with you…"

"I will be finished with this shortly."

As I sat there waiting, I analyzed him. His black hair frames his face perfectly. His slate grey eyes never once blinked as he scanned through the documents. His mouth, twitching in…

Wait what? His mouth is twitching?

Before I can comprehend the situation, he broke the silence. "It's rude to stare." His mouth twitched again.

My eyes widened. Oh god, caught in the act. I could feel my face redden in embarrassment. I covered my face with my face as I shook my head. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright. There is no rule in seireitei that forbids anyone to stare." His mouth twitched again.

Is he holding back a smile? Ha, who is caught in the act now, huh. The great Byakuya Kuchiki, almost smiled at my actions. I snorted at the thought.

"What is so funny?" He raised his eyebrows.

"You can laugh, you know. There is no rule in seireitei that forbids anyone to laugh." I repeated what he said.

He gave me a strange expression. "Let's go." As he passed by me, I swear I saw him smile. A full smile. Not a half-hearted twitch of the lips, but a smile. And damn, he looks so hot with the smile plastered on his lips. I can't help but stare.

"So…are you coming or not?"

Dumbfounded, I run towards him. "Of course." _. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I can't sleep. Insomnia is the worst. It is torture. While everyone in Seireitei is asleep, my mind is buzzing with all kinds of random thoughts. And sometimes the thoughts reach a standstill, and my mind goes blank. I become more aware of the silence. It is precisely during this moment that I realize how alone I am.

Unable to take the loneliness any longer, I decided to go for a walk. I left Hotaru no Hikari behind as I do not want her messing with my mind. Don't get me wrong, I love my zanpakuto. But sometimes, she gets all smart and philosophical, making me doubt and question the world, and right now, I am not the mood.

I followed the moon. Each step I take, I am closer to it, yet it still seems so far away.

**Byakuya**

I can't sleep. My mind keeps drifting to somewhere else. Or more specifically, a person. She held so much power, but she doesn't know how to use them. She is independent yet she can't seem to take care of herself. She doesn't want to form bonds with people but yet she can't avoid being friendly and protective of them. She is perfectly imperfect.

And I am in love with her.

I can't sleep.

**Skye**

"Hey."

He turned around. He narrowed his eyes when he saw me. "Minori san."

"It's a pleasure to see you too." I murmured.

"What are you doing here?"

I stared at the moon. "I can't sleep." I confessed.

"Me too."

We continued looking at the sky. 'There are almost no stars tonight.' I noted. I was lost in my thoughts until I heard someone calling my name.

"Yes?"

He looked at me. "Are you disappointed?"

My eyes glazed over the tattooed 69 on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"You are crying." He pointed out. "So I just assume that you are disappointed."

Surprised, I rubbed away the tears. "Oh, I didn't notice. Don't worry, futaicho, I'm fine."

"Hisagi will do."

We lapse into silence yet again. When I was so sure that he won't continue the conversation any longer, he spoke up. "You're lying."

"Huh?"

"You are lying." He repeated. This time, more firmly.

I paused. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." Looking over his shoulder at the panoramic view of Seireitei, I told him how I feel. "I feel horrible. I want to trash up the place. I am so disappointed in the world that I have nothing to live for. I want to cry until all my tears dry up. I need to…" I continued rambling about every little thing that made me angry, sad, and betrayed until I finally acknowledged the fact that I need to breathe.

He spoke, almost too quietly. "I feel this way too."

"Arigato, Hisagi kun."

"I can't believe Tousen taicho would do this. I never known that the justice he perceived would be _this._ He…He shown me hope in this world and then he destroyed them. I…I honestly do not how I feel. When the time comes, I am going to defeat him. **I **am going to show him what is justice. But I don't hate him."

I smiled at him. "I don't hate Gin too." Right now, at this moment, all my worries are gone. It is the feeling where someone shares the same burden as you, and you know that you are not alone anymore. I feel…lighthearted. And I haven't felt this way since forever.

I walked over to Hisagi. "Would you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

I smiled, feeling the happiness from deep in my heart. I put my arms around him buried my face in his chest. I felt him go stiff, but after recovering from the shock, he hugged me back. We stood like that, on the hill of Seireitei, with the moon watching over us. Nothing was on my mind, but this time, it feels peaceful.

I closed my eyes.

**There you have it. This chapter don't really have much interaction between Byakuya and Skye, so I apologise to those who are dying to see them together. I want to develop Skye's character first before slowly building up their relationship. **

**Anyway, please review and tell me how you feel! Thank you so much! I love you guys o.o **


	11. Chapter 10: Decisions

**Hi peeps. I am so so so sorry that I took such a long time to update. I was really busy with school and project work and I really had a hard time planning the story. **

**Anyhow, i've encountered some difficulty writing this fanfic in this format. And I know that my work is not really good so i would like to thank everyone who have read it. **

**Lastly, I would like to apologise for this chapter. I know some of you have waited quite a while for this, but this chapter is really short compared to the rest. But please enjoy, as always. (: **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

**Skye**

Nothing is working out the way I want them to. There are demeaning stares whenever I walk by, tons of paperwork to do, even more interrogations and my skills drastically dropped. I can't even last a few hours of zanpakuto training without being out of breathe! Not to mention the night patrols and the increasing number of hollows that popped out of nowhere. Life's really a bitch. And before I forget, nowadays Byakuya keep giving me those stares that make me shiver with…desire? Something is wrong with me.

"Urgh!" I collapsed on the ground, feeling disgusted with my sweat glistening body. Why am I so weak?

"_You're really contradicting yourself, baka." Hotaru no Hikari laughed. _

I growled. _"A while ago you were complaining how everyone only looks at your strength and how you hate my powers." _

"I'm starting to forget about them." I said to no one in particular.

"_Who?" _

"You know."

"_Isn't that a good thing? That's what your sister wanted anyway." _

"I'm not supposed to forget about her! She needs to live on, in my memories."

_Hikari groaned. "Are you blind? Don't you see? This is not about her! Forget her. Forget about your ex. Can you think about yourself, even for a moment?" _

"Fuck you!" I screamed. Willing myself to stand, I gathered all my strength and activated bankai. In a flash, Hotaru no Hikari materialized in front of me. NO matter how many times I see her, I still can't help but awe at her beauty. She takes on a human form, with hundreds of fireflies surrounding her.

Ignoring my previous insult, she continued. _"How many times do we need to have this conversation in order for you to get it through your thick skull? You are the one living in your memories! You are the one trying to hold on to them! You are the one who can't remove your guilt. You are blaming yourself for things that are not yours to blame. You are a pathetic soul, Skye. I feel sorry for you." _

I tried to hit her with my sword, but she just danced away gracefully, avoiding all my hits. Frustrated at my failed attempts and fueled by her words, I screeched at her. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't need you to feel sorry for me. I don't care about what you think of me, but you have no right to lecture me on what I should or should not do. I am the one who killed them. I am the one feeling the pain. I AM THE ONE SUFFERING! So don't you go about asking me to forget. You have no right."

"_I am you." Hikari gaze pierced into my eyes. "I have been feeling your pain, every minute, every second. Even when you are sleeping." _

I felt as though she was looking at my soul, trying to save me from darkness. Finally opening my mouth, I whispered, "Then you should know better than to ask me to forget."

I tightened my grip on my sword and continued lashing at her. Front, Backswing, defend, side. As I practiced the moves that I am so familiar with, she raised her hand. As if on cue, my sword stopped moving. I can't control it. I narrowed my eyes. Finally getting my full attention, she sighed. _"It is time to let go, Skye. You have a bright future ahead, look forward. I have to bring you back from the darkness. After all, I am the zanpakuto of light." _

"That's your explanation?" My tone filled with sarcasms. "I am the sword of light?"

"_You do not understand. I cannot have an owner like you. If you continue with this mindset, your life would be tainted. I cannot serve someone like you, Skye. When that time comes, which I hope not, the inevitable will happen." _HIkari's stare softened, almost pleading.

I frowned, confused about what she said. The inevitable will happen? Unknowingly, I voiced out my thoughts. Before I can take them back, she answered, _"I can't allow you to use me anymore." _

Everything comes to a standstill. I can't hear anything else, only my erratic heartbeat which is beating even faster than before. "What?" I choked. Hotaru no Hikari is my sword! She can't just…she can't…

"_You can't forget, Skye, that even though we are one, I am still a zanpakuto. I survive, I adapt, I am not supposed to hold any emotions for my wielder. Especially so when you will be using my powers, my light to fight. How can I entrust my light to a person living in darkness?" _

Stepping back, I shook my head. "So I am not worthy of your power. I'm sorry to disappoint you then, I am not someone that you should serve."

I bit my lip to hold back a small cry as I walked out of my secret training grounds. _"I cannot serve the person you've become, Skye. Think about what I've said." _

Choices, choices, choices. I hate them. Why did Hikari give me a choice? I don't know. I have been trending in the gray area all my life, how can I make a decision between two things that are very dear to me? I have been with Hikari for so long that I forgot about what she said when I first activated her. _'my allegiance to you continues unless you dishonor my light. Remember that and don't lose yourself. I look forward to working with you.' _

Strangely, I don't feel angry with her anymore. I felt that I've let her down. I've lost myself so deep that I can't find my way out anymore. I've broken her trust in me long time ago, and yet she stayed until now. Staring blankly at the ceiling, I thought of my zanpakuto that I've thrown to the corner of my room as soon as I arrived. My past is what defined me, and my future is what will define me. I smacked my head. Why must she make my life difficult? I am at the losing end for both choices. Hikari knows that. I turned towards my sword.

She gave me choices for a reason. Inevitably, choices are sacrifices for us to give up something we want in exchange for something that we want more. I just have to figure out which one is more important.

**Byakuya **

I have been taking particular notice of Hikari recently. She looked…frail. And it pains me to know that she has been hiding them. After observing her for some time, I discovered that she loved to hide things. It's as though she can only trust herself.

"Ohayou, taicho." Barely glancing at Renji, I walked towards my own desk, mentally preparing myself for the long day.

"Skye says she's not coming today." My eyes pricked at her name. Masking my excitement, I asked indifferently, "Why?"

"Not feeling well, of course. As if anyone here would skip work and face your wrath." Renji mumbled the last part.

Not feeling well? Shinigamis rarely get sick. Right now, I probably should be disgusted at Skye's weakness and immediately order a transfer for her. I do not need weaklings in my squad. But somehow, I can't bring myself to think this way.

Not knowing what else to say, I left for the captain's meeting.

**Renji**

"Taicho is really frustrated nowadays. He keep worrying about Hinamori chan but refuses to acknowledge it when I ask him. That brat!" Taking another sip of sake, Matsumoto continued, "He should just confess to her alreadyWhy must he make his life so difficult?"

"It's still their problem anyway, you shouldn't mind his business, Matsumoto." Ikkaku commented.

"Whatever. They don't look compatible anyway."

"If you have nothing nice to say, Yumichika, then shut up!"

"But it's true! Momo's too tall for Toushiro taicho."

"You bastard!"

"Oi, stop it! If you want to fight, go somewhere else."

"Renji! Why are you staring off into space?"

"Renji!"

"Abarai kun, there's a hot girl coming towards you…"

"Abarai Renji, if you continue ignoring us, I'm gonna tell everyone about your failed seduction techniques!"

Hearing that, I suddenly snapped into attention. "You promised, Matsumoto!"

"Who did you seduce, Renji?"

"Yeah, how could you neglect mentioning that to us?" Ikkaku grinned slyly.

Matsumoto tapped the table. "Now now, stop torturing him. I have other questions for him. What are you thinking of, Renji? Is it a girl?"

I reddened at what she is implying. "Wha- you…Of course not!"

"Then what ARE you thinking about? You only look this serious when you are on the battlefield." Matsumoto insisted.

I signed. "Fine, you must never mention what I am about to say to anyone else. No one, am I clear?"

"Yeah yeah, tell us already."

Inhaling deeply, I rushed through my words. "IthinktaicholikesSkye."

After a few seconds of silence, I am bombarded with questions again.

"Huh what?"

"You speak like a bullet train, idiot. Say that again!"

"Hey it's not my fault you have a reaction speed of a turtle." I defended myself.

"Baka you…"

"Shut up, all of you!" Matsumoto's shouted. She turned to me, eyes gleaming. "Now now, what makes you think that?"

I think it's a miracle I can still hear. "Well, taicho is acting weirdly these days, especially when I mention Skye. This morning, when I informed him that Skye is sick and therefore not coming to work, he actually looked at me and asked why! And he didn't refer to her as 'weak' or 'she is not worthy of this division' or shit like that. I just have this feeling that he's worried for her in his own weird way….Or it may just be me being oversensitive…"

Slamming her hands on the table, Matsumoto announced excitedly, "I KNEW IT! That Kuchiki hottie is infatuated with our little Skye all along!"

Finally realising what we are talking about, Ikkaku and Yumichika literally dropped to the ground.

"Wait wait, what do you mean by you knew it?" I narrowed my eyes at Matsumoto.

Smiling mysteriously at me, she said, "Well, let's just say it's a woman's intuition." Matsumoto grabbed a bottle of sake and headed to the exit. "Good luck explaining to the boys."

I groaned.

**Skye**

One thing that I've learnt in my life as a shinigami – everything needs courage. Every step we take, every battle we fight, needs courage as an anchor to pull us back to who we are. Too little courage, you get cowards, who ultimately die; too much courage – overconfidence, which also eventually results in death. Whatever path we take, we must tread carefully. There is no distinct right or wrong, black or white, love or hate. They always exist together. Always. Crossing over to either side, well, good luck to you.

Admittedly, I am wasted talent. I don't have enough courage, be it during battles or in my daily life. Everytime life throws a knife at me, I dodge. I have courage, but not enough. It's not enough to help me through it all. And because there is never a right and wrong, I don't know what to think.

Knock. Knock knock. Chanting a simple kido spell to prepare myself, I immediately rise up from my futon. As soon as the door opens, I narrowed my eyes and released the kido.

**Byakuya**

This is the first time in years I am doing something without a reason. Walking through my division's barracks, I contemplated on what to say when I see Skye. I haven't done that either, ever since Hisana's death. Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing myself, I knocked on her door. After a few tries, I know that she is not responding. _Perhaps she's resting._ It took me another few seconds to decide whether I should just enter her room, and that was the worst decision I've made this week.

I was fortunate enough to shunpo away from her kido, just in time to compose myself and give her a condescending look.

"Taicho!...gomen..." She looked at me, wide eyed. "I didn't…I should have sensed your reiatsu.

Gomennasai.,,I don't have time to grab hikari…It's all my fault…"

I cleared my throat. "Do you have any idea how many times you have attacked me?" She blushed and looked away. "Why is your zanpakutou not with you? As shinigamis, we must be alert all the time."

She looked tired. As usual, she seems deep in thought. Patiently, I waited for her to speak.

After a long time, she said. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't keep everything to yourself." I said, leaving for the door. _She's still cautious of me. _

"Taicho…I have something to tell you." I hesitated at the door.

She stared at the starless sky with that faraway look in her eyes. "I don't have many close friends, but when I care for someone, I will be loyal to them until the end. I don't have the courage to leave them behind, even when they betrayed me. I would hate them, yes, but I would also hate myself for feeling such hatred towards them." Turning to face me, her eyes pierced through the indifferent look I have. It held so much emotions, so much sadness, and anger, that I suddenly held an ounce of respect for her. Suppressing all these feelings for so many years, that is the strength I have never believed existed in her. "That was what happened between me and Taeda."

**Please review! thanks a lot. **


	12. Chapter 11: History

**Dear readers, I love you all(: You are my motivation to continue this ff! **

**I'm posting this chapter as a new year present! less than 2hrs to 2012! Forgive me if this chapter is terrible, cos I was writing it while drinking, and I might be a little tipsy(: **

**This one will be about Skye's past, so hopefully it will shed some light on her character. o.o Enjoy!**

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

I love you till infinity ends.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

**"that was what happened between me and Taeda."**

**Skye**

My voice cracked as I forced myself to continue. "he loved me so much. We were so happy together...And then everything changed."

_It had been two weeks and three days since she last saw him. Where had he gone to?_

_He seemed to have distanced himself from her over the last few months. Sure, they had made love, cuddled and did most things together, but she could not shake off this feeling. He felt so far away. His eyes wouldn't focus on hers whenever they embraced. Sometimes he laughed for no reason. And his reiatsu increased dramatically. She could sense it. He had become much more powerful. Even his hair, brown at first, had turned to white. 'overexposure to reiatsu', he said._

_However, the strangest thing about him now was his disappearances. He explained to_  
_her about the effectiveness of training alone. 'I want to become stronger so that I could protect you from anything.' he had told her when she asked him about it. But somehow, she felt as though he was lying about what he had been doing during his disappearances. "no. Taeda is not this kind of person." she quickly dismissed any stray thoughts._

"I was so naive back then. Stupidly trusting everything he told me." I glanced at Byakuya. He was looking outside the window, but his attention was on me. "I was wrong."

_It was a windy night. No moon, no stars, no clouds. She stared at the bare sky, wondering where he had been. "Almost a month," she mused. "come back, Taeda." Sighing, she closed her eyes and drifted away._

_When she opened her eyes again, she saw a silver haired teenager smiling down at her. Too shock to do anything else, she made a reach for her zanpakutou._

_"ya don't have ta defend yerself," the man grinned. "I'm a friend."_

_"who are you?" she asked as she backed away, still wary of the unknown person with a big smile._

_"I'm bringin' ya ta see Taeda. Don't ya wanna see him?"_

_At the mention of her lover's name, she felt herself letting out a breath she did not know she was holding. "yeah. Do you know where is he?"_

_She watched as he grinned even bigger. "come on."_

I stopped, not knowing if I should continue. It was personal, and I never had the courage to tell others about my past. And no one asked. Well technically speaking, Byakuya didn't ask me about it too. I just felt that he should know.

Speaking of Byakuya, he seemed to sense my discomfort, because he finally shifted his gaze on me. He kneeled down on the tatami mat in my room to make himself more comfortable, all the while silently beckoning me to continue with his eyes.

"That person with a big grin" I continued as I made myself comfortable, "was Ichimaru Gin."

_"See? That's him over there!" the guy pointed to a small figure in the clearing, not once dropping the smile etched on his face._

_Taeda. Taeda! She smiled as she ran towards the figure. The closer she got, however, the more she started to worry. Something is wrong, she can sense it. She noticed that the white haired guy, whom she guessed must be Taeda, was not alone. There was other...things on the ground. Things...they looked more like bodies, she thought. Another huge wave of reiatsu was released. She tried to move forward with much difficulty. She could now see his features. His eyes held a wild look she had never seen on him before. His grin was so big, just like the silvered hair man who brought her here. His clothes were tattered and bloodied. All in all, if it wasn't for the zanpakutou he was holding, she would never admit that the guy in front of her was her lover. He did not appear to have noticed her yet. "you hollows are nothing compared to me!" he shouted as he sliced the monster he was battling into half. She hesitated. This guy is much too volatile to be Taeda. What if it's a trap? Her brain started making useless assumptions. What if someone was impersonating as Taeda just to kill me? Who was the silvered hair man? As she stood there contemplating on her actions, he finally turned and saw her. "Minori! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"_

_She froze. The voice. She cannot be mistaken. He is Taeda. "Say...you look so tasty today. How did you find this place?" This time, the voice was sounded so near she looked up in fright. "Don't scare me." she muttered, one hand covering heart. "What are you doing here?" she did not feel so confident near him anymore._

_"Getting stronger, of course." he paced himself in circles around her, watching her, like how a predator watches his prey._

_She shivered involuntarily. Her instincts had told her to flee, but it was Taeda! She couldn't run from him. He's the only one she had. "you...you sound..." the word 'evil' was on the tip of her tongue. She swallowed it, of course. How could she use that word to describe him? "…different." she carefully chose the word to not upset him._

_To her surprise, he laughed. It wasn't his usual laugh; this one had menace dripping over it. She couldn't help but back away from him. "Of course I'm different. Do you feel my reiatsu? It's like a never ending river! God, I need to thank sempai for that!"_

_She looked at him confused and afraid at the same time. "Sempai?"_

_Suddenly, he whipped his head in her direction and growled, barring his teeth at her. Her, of all people. She flinched, finally aware of how dangerous he had become. "Do not speak of sempai in such an indifferent manner, you understand?" she nodded slowly, still taking in his abnormal behaviour._

_"Now, where were we?" he relaxed again. "See those bodies over there?" he pointed at a pile of carcasses on the blood stained ground. "I killed them. All of them." he put his hands on her shoulders, willing her to look at him. When she did, he spoke excitedly, "see? I am stronger now! I can definitely protect you! We do not need to hide anymore! Sempai promised to make me the head of his army when the time is right, and..."_

_She moved away from his grab, trying to take in everything he said. So he lied to her, she thought bitterly, just to chase for power, the very thing her sister warned her against. He left her alone, for a month, without a trace, just to senselessly kill these hollows. For what? She did not understand. For the first time, she found herself unable to stand by his decisions._

_"why?" she asked him._

_He looked at her, confusion written plainly in his eyes. "Why do you do all this? Why did you lie to me?" she voiced out all the questions in her head._

_He frowned, not expecting her disapproval. "I want to protect you, from these disgusting creatures that took Kara's life." she opened her mouth, ready to retort, but he stopped her. "Sempai saw me practicing two months ago, and promised to help me become stronger. He understood my pain, understood my desire to protect you but unable to do so. He was there for me! Anyway, he helped me, at a price, of course. I could not tell you about him."_

_"Then why are you telling me now?" she asked with a hint of anger. He spoke of his 'sempai' with such admiration and respect, it made her jealous. He sounded as though his 'sempai' held a more important position in his heart than her. She did not like his 'sempai' at all._

_"He told me that he could make you stronger too! And that once we both become powerful beings, we can rule the world together with him!" his eyes shone as he spoke of that._

_She paled at what he said. Rule the world? She did not want that. She did not want to become stronger. Shaking her head, she dismissed her doubts about him. How could she be so naive, thinking that he will still be the same even if he became stronger. No, he's not the Taeda she knew anymore. He's the very person she feared he become._

_She shook her head, body quivering as she turned away from him. "no."_

_She heard his sharp intake of breath. "wha...but I thought..."_

_"No. Did you even ask for my opinion? I don't want to be some fucking ruler!"_

_"Now, don't be unreasonable. We both know what you desire, deep down, even though you refuse to admit. I'm helping you achieve what you want!"_

_"what I want right now, is for you to open your fucking eyes and look at yourself! You are forcing me to accept something I do not want!"_

_"no, you are the one who should just shut up and listen to me! Sempai said you will be happier-"_

_"what do your sempai know, huh?" she raised her arms over her shoulder as they engaged in a verbal dispute. She made sure to sneer when she said 'sempai'._

_He glared back at her. "I told you not to do that!"_

_"do what?" she said exasperately. "speak of your perfect sempai?"_

_His eyes were of fury. She had never seen him acting this way in front of her, but she was too irate to care._

_"you can ask your fucking sempai to go to hell." she spat, not noticing how his knuckles turned white from grabbing his zanpakutou too hard. "from what I gathered, it looks to me that he had some fucking mind control-"_

_She did not finish her sentence, for within the next second, she was pushed to the ground roughly. Finally, she saw what she should have seen long ago. How could she miss that? He looked like he was ready to kill her. She realised that she had stepped out of the line. 'He chose his sempai over me' she thought bitterly. 'some stranger over his love.'_

_"do you care to repeat that?" He knelt down, shadow looming over her._

_Oh, to hell with that, she thought angrily. "I said, you can ask your fucking bastard of a sempai to go to hell. I would never, in my entire existence, train with that bitch, nor would I rule some fucking kingdom with him." She said defiantly. "If you want to follow him that much, be my guest."_

_Within seconds, he had his zanpakutou on her throat. He pulled her up forcefully as his other hand pulled her head back roughly. She saw everything from hurt, anger, despise, to hate. But she didn't find what she was looking for. Hesitation. Was he going to kill her just like that? In cold blood? She didn't know what he would do anymore, he was all but soul._

_"not so brave now, are you?" he countered. He grazed her neck with his zanpakutou, watching in delight as blood started oozing out of the fine wound._

_She, on the other hand, was scared to death. Perhaps dying by her lover's hands is merciful enough. She killed her sister, after all. "why are you like this?" she asked quietly, forcing herself to calm down._

_"I think I can answer' that." She turned in time to see the silvered hair man in between them, holding his zanpakutou away from her neck with JUST HIS HANDS! Just who is this guy? "ya are s'pposed ta convince her ta join us,not killin' her, Hakishima~"_

_"Mind your own business, slimy bastard." He seethed. "sempai asked me to complete this task."_

_"Well boy, I was assigned ta another task."_

_She may not have comprehended the entire situation, but she felt as though she was the task they described. Should it happen in a lighthearted manner, she would feel insulted for being referred to as a task. But right now, she is battling with her own death, Taeda's strange behavior and the weird turn of events. The entire situation overwhelmed her. It felt like she was a part of a great plan to overtake the world. She shook her head at the thought, quickly dismissing her ridiculous idea._

_A shout from Taeda brought her out of her thoughts._

_"He would never do that to me!" He roared, swinging his zampakutou at the constipated face man._

_They seem to be fighting, completely forgetting her presence. She watched the battle, half wanting to escape, but her curiosity got the better of her. She had never seen two powerful beings fighting before, it was somehow...exhilarating._

I looked down at my feet, reminiscing about the fight. It was supposed to be a fight between two Shinigamis,but I have always had this unsettling feeling that Taeda was being controlled, reduced to a fighting machine. I remember how scared I was of Taeda. I did not want him to win. It was funny, thinking about it now, how I secretly rooted for Gin to win, when I didnt even know his name.

"he died?" I was snapped out of my anamnesis. "your...lover. He died?" Byakuya repeated the question.

I managed a small smile. It started raining again.

_"stop. Stop! Oh fuck, stop! Please, please! I beg you, please!" she screamed. She ran towards the two battling souls; the only thing on her mind was 'not Taeda!' She witnessed his rapidly diminishing power as the silvered hair man broke his zanpakutou with ease. The killing aura from the stranger was so strong, not even his relaxed battling form could hide it. She believed that he could be saved. From whatever darkness he had fallen into. She loved him! Didnt that count as something?_

_"ya shouldn't beg fer his mercy. He's destined to die."_

_She decided then and there that that was the most ridiculous statement she've heard. No one is destined to die! No, she would make sure he lived._

_She stepped between him and the stranger, stretching her hands out protectively as the unknown man got ready to land the final blow on him. "Don't. Don't do it, please. I'll...I'll do anything that you ask. Just let him go. Please." she begged desperately._

_The man stopped grinning at her words, as though seriously contemplating on her offer. "ya would do anything ta make sure he's not killed?"_

_She nodded solemnly, preparing herself for his demands._

_"How about I kill both of ya?" the strange man smiled again._

_Before she could reply, she heard a cough behind. Swiftly turning and squatting beside him, she patted on his back as he coughed out blood. "Taeda!"_

_However, he did not seem happy to see her. He pushed her away from him, staring at her in disgust. "Don't put your filthy hands on me! You are a disgrace to sempai!" He grabbed a piece of his damaged zanpakutou. "I would deal with you after I killed her." he snarled at the stranger before turning back to her._

_She was scared shitless. His eyes reflected her death, and she could do nothing to stop him. She was unarmed and too hurt to retaliate. "Goodbye, Minori. To think I actually loved you."_

_She closed her eyes, preparing for the stab. She heard a gurgling noise as the cold merciless weapon connected with flesh, but felt no pain. Perhaps death wasn't as painful as she thought._

_"Hey ya can open yer eyes now!" Why could she still hear the stranger's voice? Did he die with her too? "Yer not dead, so open yer eyes!"_

_Confused, she opened her eyes, one at a time, trying to assess the situation. 'Oh no, no, no, this is not happening', she thought. She was looking at him, his eyes wide open, life draining out of him. It was then that she saw the sword that was sticking out of his body. Shaking her head, she tried desperately to contain her tears as she ran towards him. "Don't…don't die." She whispered. "Oh shit, don't leave me, please. Please don't die!" She locked gaze with him, willing him to whisper the three words that she missed so much. _

_He didn't. His gaze held anger and madness, no love, no sorrow, for leaving her behind. "Fuck you." He spat out blood as he opened his mouth. "You deserve to…die. Sempai…he will kill you." _

"That was his last words to me." My hands tightened around my robes. No words of comfort or affection; Taeda died hating me.

I felt a warm hand covering my own. "Yet you love him." Byakuya stated.

"I think I realised now. I _loved_ him." I said quietly. "But I just can't seem to let him go."

"What happened to Taeda san? He sounded…" Byakuya's voice trailed off.

"To be honest, I'm not sure."

_She calmed down, knowing he will never return. _

"_Yer alright?" _

"_Who are you?" She asked, her voice coarse from all the sobbing. She didn't know whether to trust him. But then again, she had no where to go, no one to stay with. _

_He opened his slit eyes, revealing his red orbs. "I'm Gin." _

"_You killed him." She stated. _

"_I was ordered ta kill Taeda…an' capture ya." I froze. "Don't worry. Yer not dead yet, an' won't be anytime soon." He started walking, motioning me to follow. "He was a failed experiment, that's why I was sent ta kill him. Yer s'pposed ta be his replacement." _

"_So his sempai wanted to kill him?" _

"_Yer right." _

"_Who is sempai?" She finally asked the question tingling in her head ever since Taeda first spoke of him._

"_Ain't telling ya. Unless ya want ta be killed." _

_Looking at Gin's retreating form, she wondered what would happen to her. "Are you bringing me to sempai?" _

"_Not unless ya want ta."_

"_Why are you helping me?" _

_He paused. "Yer remind meh of someone…I left. Can't let ya get hurt. Come'on." _

"_Thank you." She supposed it was right to thank him after he saved her, even though he killed Taeda. _

"_Yer welcome! Now, let's go an' get yer zanpakutou. Yer be following me from now on." She stumbled behind him. Gin did not answer all her questions. She would know the truth, eventually. Nothing could be hidden forever._

**I really had no time to reply to the reviews individually, so I shall post it here o.o **

**Indescribable music: Love you(: Thanks for your review! I will work harder! **

**Ficchii: Thank you! Oh sorry I didn't realise but thanks for correcting me! I shall change to fukutaicho from now on -.- I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Sakura-Glow: I owe you a big thank you for your compliment! *blushes* Btw I realised that I've read your ff before. It's really nice and I hope i can write as well as you someday! **

**Goodbye for now! I wish everyone a happy new year and hopefully 2012 will be a better year for all of you! Until then! Have fun!**


	13. Chapter 12: Run

**How have you guys been? It's been what...four months? I'm really sorry. School has been taking up most of my time, and well, lets just say it is a bumpy ride for me. I need to catch up on work and stuff, my A levels are coming up and I'm not prepared! **

**So please understand that studies will be my priority from now on. Though I would still try my best to update so that I won't lose touch. Did you know that I typed out this entire chapter on bus rides? Yes, that's how busy I am. So I apologise if there's any mistakes in my writing. Thank you again for all your support, I couldn't have done it without you guys. Anyhow, how about updating me with little snippets of your life? I am so bored with studying all day! :( **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

But it's not so bad

You're only the best I ever had

You don't want me back

You're just the best I ever had. **  
**

- Best I've ever had, Vertical Horizon

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**

**Byakuya **

I had had many predictions on Minori - no , Skye's past since I saw her almost empty personal particulars form. Of everything, I didn't expect that to come out of her mouth.

"I have been staying with Gin from then on, and training under him." she said ruefully. "He convinced me that I should at least be able to protect myself should the need arises."

That explained why she could surpass everyone in the Shinigamis Academy so quickly. She had been trained before. "He helped you achieve bankai too?"

"No, he was not informed of my bankai. I only achieved that shortly after attending the academy." she looked at me then. "Only three people know of it."

"I see."

"I warmed up to Gin a few months after...after Taeda's death. We could be considered as friends." she frowned. "he suggested that I become an official Shinigami. Couldnt have ya wanderin' with meh, he said. But I couldn't get used to living with so many people in the academy...they were so different from me. So...happy."

"And ignorant." I added. She gave me a small, sad smile.

"They pestered me about things I do not wish to share. When I don't satisfy their curiosity, some started gossiping. I didn't know what to do. So I distanced myself from everyone."

I felt a familiar tug in my heart as she told me how alone she was. Living in false pretence so that people around can stop annoying her; trying to grief while living at the same time...it was not a walk in the park.

"Do you regret it?" I asked. She frowned slightly, so I explained, "pretending to be someone you're not. Did you ever regret doing so?"

"Yes." she mumbled so softly that even my trained hearing had difficulty registering it. "It's as though Minori Skye died."

**Rukia**

There had been many changes since Aizen's betrayal. Security was stepped up, the atmosphere was gloomy, and renovation is ubiquitous. Some even needed to attend therapy sessions. The damage done was both physical and psychological.

Renji was still his usual self, thirteenth division is still operating normally. The betrayal did not affect me as much as it affected the rest. There may be a few changes, such as no more Ichigo, but my life is basically as normal as it can be. That is, until I met Renji and Rangiku yesterday. They were having this arcane meeting and Renji almost looked appalled at my sudden appearance. Rangiku, on the other hand, gleefully pulled me into the conversation and revealed their discussion. Apparently, they had noticed the awkward behaviours of onii sama and decided to investigate. Well, mostly Rangiku, who is an active member of the Shinigami Women's Association.

"Now, so here's the plan. Rukia, as a dutiful sister of the great Kuchiki Taicho, you are going to hold a civilised conversation surrounding the topic of our beloved Skye chan. Renji, your job is to observe his reaction to anything Skye-related and -"

"Wait. Why am I involved in this?" Renji tapped the table irritably.

"Asks the one who started this gossip in the first place. As I was saying, I will be monitoring this entire operation and I will step in if anything goes wrong." Rangiku blabbered on excitedly. "Pushing these two lovebirds together in a month, that's our goal. Any questions?"

I raised my hands. "Yes Rukia, you may speak." Rangiku rolled her eyes.

"Don't you think these things should happen naturally?"

"What? Who planted that thought into your brain? Of course not! Nothing good ever happens _naturally._ Don't spout nonsense."

"I still don't think it's a good idea." Renji mumbled. "This is Byakuya taicho we are talking about. You don't want to mess with him, Matsumoto."

"Don't be such a spoilsport! He will be thanking us soon enough. Shit, has it been two hours already? Taicho's gonna kill me again!"

She was gone in a flash, leaving Renji to glance at me suspiciously. He had not spoken to me at all during the entire "meeting". "So, you are actually okay with all this?"

His deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Hm? Yeah."

"He's your brother. You know what he's like. I don't want to lose my job any more than you losing your family."

"Renji, he's not gonna fire you just because you want to blabber on about Skye chan. Besides…"

"Besides?"

I didn't know if I should continue. Onii sama is quite personal about his feelings. I forced a smile on my face. "Nah, it's nothing. Hey, do you want to have lunch together?" Renji gave me another stare before nodding his head. I was sure he sensed my awkward change in topic, but did not question me further.

**Byakuya **

The sky was better today. The bright morning Sun emitted its warm glow and soul society finally looked welcoming. Faint chirping sounds and laughters can be heard from all corners of Seireitei. As lovely as these may be, the atmosphere in the 1st division was completely contrasting. Gloomy, heavy, suffocating even. We were discussing about the recent rise of hollows in the human world. This cannot be a coincidence, Yamamoto soutaicho had said. Aizen will be one step ahead of us, and we need to formulate a plan.

"The hollows there are not only increasing in number, but also in strength. Gaki had informed me of his concern." Soi fong explained. "He was having difficulties fending off these hollows and called for help."

Kenpachi snorted at that. "Well, what is Ichigo for? I'm sure he can kick ass anyday."

"Even though Ichigo is a substitute shinigami, we cannot be too dependent on him."

Yamamoto soutaicho stroked his beard as he pondered upon the discussion. Finally making up his mind, he coughed intentionally, gaining the attention of his fellow captains. "We are currently in a vulnerable position; soul society cannot afford another attack. What if the current hollow sightings in the human world are just a decoy to strike Sereitei at its weakest? We can't send any shinigamis to help Gaki when we can't even secure our peace here."

Unohaha nodded. "That's right. We are at a liability. Ichigo should able to suppress the incidents in the human world for now. We should observe the situations for a few months before deciding if we need to send forces there to help. By then, we would have completely recovered from Aizen's betrayal."

It was silent for a while as the last two words were spoken. I thought of how I almost killed Rukia and Skye. It wasn't something I wanted to experience again.

"Retsu is right. That child should suffice for now. We will discuss this again. Dismissed."

**Skye **

I had never felt so...liberated in my entire existence. Talking to Byakuya, it really took the weight off my shoulders. It felt good, I'm not going to deny, but it made me nervous at the same time. What would he think of me now? What happens if he tells someone else? Would I forget about Taeda? Will Hotaru no hikari cooperate with me?

These tiny little questions have been floating around my mind since this morning. Sighing, I grabbed my zanpakutou. What better times to meditate then now?

I watched the familiar white light spread around me, surrounding me in nothing but white. Yes, this is my inner world. Nothingness. Its like what some humans would describe when they supposedly entered heaven. Idiots. There never was any heaven. Their souls just travel to soul society so fast - at the speed of light actually, that white is the only thing they see.

Moving on, I noticed I'm not alone. Hikari materialised beside me, as ethereal as ever. "I'm sorry." I said quietly. "For gettin angry at you when I'm the one who should be blamed."

She was still silent, willing me to speak. "I talked to my taicho yesterday. I told him about Taeda and we just-he just sat there and listened. He was-"

"But you didn't tell him everything."

"No. No, I didn't."

Hikari nodded and finally looked at me. "It's a start."

"So what happens now?"

"We'll see. You need to recover from your darkness soon. Aizen would not wait for you."

She was right. Time was not on my side. Any weakness I have would be used against me in times of battle. "I'll do my best." I have to.

"So, what is going on between you and your taicho?" Hikari turned to me with a devious smile, the atmosphere suddenly feeler light. "Absolutely nothing!" I looked at her in horror. She gave me an all too knowing look. I sighed. "Was I that obvious?"

"I could communicate with his zanpakutou, you know."

"Don't you dare!" Hikari drew heart shaped patterns in the air as she skipped in front of me. "You don't usually mess with my personal affairs!"

"Oh, but I do!" Her expression made me wish for ignorance. "I love meddling with affairs that are none of my concern and I'm not sorry for it."

"You little….Come back here this instant!"

**Byakuya**  
Cherry blossoms always seem to calm me down. I took a deep breath as I passed the koi pond. Rukia would usually accompany me on my evening walks, but she was absent tonight. I was glad for that; she kept pestering me with questions about Skye these days.

It wasn't something I'd like to share with others. After all, I had not completely accepted everything myself. Hisana should be the one occupying my mind. This was outright ridiculous. There should never be anyone else at all, to begin with. I wonder how Hisana would react should she know of my straying heart.

"You think too much."

" Senbonzakura." I acknowledged. "Why are you here?"

"You think too much. Let your feelings override with your reasonings and you'll be fine."

"Are you attempting to give me advice?"

"You'll thank me later, Byakuya." My zanpakutou sensed my reluctance. "I could talk to her zanpakutou, you know."

I frowned at the prospect of my zanpakutou having an arcane conversation with her zanpakutou. "You know better than to do that, Senbonzakura. It does not benefit you so."

He chuckled. "Perhaps not in your eyes. Hotaru no hikari is a sight to behold, young Kuchiki."

Before I could reply, I was pulled back to reality by Rukia. "Ni sama, tadaima!" She bounced happily to my side. "I hope you don't mind, I brought Skye chan for dinner!"

My heart beats faster at the knowledge of Skye being in my manor.

"She is in the waiting room. I told her that you will be escorting her, ni sama." Sensing my disapproval, she quickly added, "Unless you don't want to."

"No, I'll go. You should change into something more appropriate for dinner."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The room was decorated with scented candles and white flowers. The elaborated designs of the wallpaper further accentuate the air of elegance. The waiting room is perhaps one of the most prominently decorated room in the Kuchiki manor, but none of these matters right now. She was looking at a pot of lilies in the corner of the room. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and she was biting her lips in the most innocently seductive way. "Good evening, Taicho."

I watched as her lips moved and pronounced every single syllable. It should be a sin for any being to be so beautiful. "Come on, Rukia would join us shortly." I replied automatically.

We walked down the corridor in an awkward silence. She was fiddling with her fingers, a sign of nervousness. "What are we having for dinner?"

"I believe you will get your answer soon enough, unless there are certain food that you do not consume?"

"Oh no, of course not! I'm not picky at all!"

"That is good to hear."

Rukia was already there by the time we walked in. I sat at the end of the table with Rukia and Skye beside me. I glanced at Skye. She looked more comfortable with Rukia and they engaged in a small conversation. After a while, Rukia glanced at me and asked, "Ni sama, how about inviting Skye to our annual dinner?"

"What the hell…I mean what is that?" Skye looked at both of us, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"Nothing of importance." I said nonchalantly and brushed the topic away. I felt a pang of regret as she continued eating with an air of disappointment.

I finished the meal earlier than them, and left the room first. Soon after I arrived at the cherry blossom trees, I felt another reiatsu approaching. Skye smiled as she rested her shoulders against the tree. "This place feels like heaven."

I closed my eyes as inhaled the faint smell of cherry blossoms. "Indeed."

"Will you call this garden your sanctuary?"

I looked at her, surprised that she was asking me this question. "I would. Cherry blossoms never fail to calm me down."

"So that's why you planted so many of them in the 6th division." I gazed at her intentionally as a smile tugged her lips. "What made you decide to come over today?"

Her eyes widened at my sudden question. "Oh. I wanted to talk to you…about yesterday night."

"What is there to talk about?" My eyes traced down her cheeks to her lips and down her slender body, wondering what lies beneath those layers of hakuma. She shifted her stance, and I looked up again. "It didn't change anything, did it?"

"Do you wish for things to change?" I approached her stealthily, my eyes penetrating her almost uncomfortable gaze. "Do you want me to pretend that I heard nothing, that I knew nothing about you?" My pulse quicken at our close proximity. She pursed her lips and tried to back away from my intimidating stance, but her back hit the tree. I watched her cursing silently at her luck and fumbling over a reply, all the while taking in her appearance ardently. I placed my arms beside her head and leaned in. "Do you still love that guy who broke your heart?" She shivered at my whisper, much to my delight. "I…I loved him."

Not satisfied with her answer, I leaned in a little more. "Do you _love _him?"

"I told you…"

"Yes or no, Skye," I growled. I was intoxicated by her smell, and wondered briefly if every part of her body smelt like that.

"No." She replied shakily. I smirked as I traced my nose against her cheek, feeling her sharp inhale. "Say that again." I commanded. I was losing control, and talking was the only way for me to convince myself not to jump on her. But all my reasoning was gone when the tip of her fingers touched my cheek, gently pushing my face up to look at her. I had to muster all my strength from pushing myself against her body as I felt her hefty fingers leave a hot trail down my cheek. Her large brown eyes mirrored mine as she said those words that I really wanted to hear. "No. I don't love him."

Something within me stirred. Unable to control myself any longer, I pressed my lips to hers, my hand gently coaxing her to respond. Our kiss was soft at first, but when I felt no resistance from her, I begun to be more demanding. As though understanding my intentions, Skye opened her mouth voluntarily and made no objections when I tasted her. I felt myself pulling her closer by the waist, not having enough of her. Slowly, she became more daring and met my tongue with her own, deepening the kiss. Unfortunately, reality had to march in and she pulled away from me, her face red due to the lack of air. It gave me a short moment to think, and all I could think about was how good the kiss was. She leaned in again and gave me a small peck on the lips. Feeling insatiated, I pulled her in and gave her another open mouthed kiss. It felt as though time stopped for the two of us, and nothing mattered at that moment. The Kuchiki name, Seireitei, Aizen, Hisana…I felt alive. Our kiss lasted for seconds, maybe a few minutes, but it felt like eternity.

When we finally pulled away again, Skye was blushing and lowered her head, unable to look at me. I gently brushed her fringe away from her eyes while I grabbed her hand which was on my chest. I have so many things to say to her, but I could not find the right words to express them. Finally, after our breathing slowed down, I stepped away from her with much difficulty and asked, "What are you thinking?"

She looked as fazed as I was about what just transpired. "I don't know."

It was not the answer I was expecting, so I continued asking. "Do you regret it?"

"Do you?"

"I don't know either." I sighed, waiting for her response exasperatedly.

Her eyes were directed at the koi fish, scrutinising it. When I was almost sure that she would not talk any more, she said, with much difficulty, "I'm affected."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm affected by the…the kiss." She answered matter-of-factly. "I don't understand. Why is it…why do I feel like…like this….oh god….what the hell is wrong with me?" Skye looked at me hysterically as though I have the answers to which she seek.

I placed a hand on her arm and slowly rubbed circles with my thumb. It worked at calming her down. "You need to stop thinking too much."

"I know." She replied warily. "I think I should head home now."

I nodded, understanding that she need time to control her overwhelming emotions. Reluctantly, I released her and bid her good night. "See you tomorrow, Taicho."

It was her last word, _Taicho, _which returned me to my senses.

**Aizen**

I smirked at the fallen espada from my throne. _Serve it right. _

"This is a lesson, my dear comrades. Those who decide against my better judgement shall grant me no choice but to punish them." I watched as the fallen espada disintegrated into nothingness. Snapping my fingers, I stood up and commanded. "Now, my fellow friends, we need to get to work quickly. Ulquiorra, would you kindly go fetch Inoue Orihime here? And Nnoitra, why don't you prepare a room for our beloved guest? Afterall, we wouldn't want any complains about our hospitality, would we?"

A few snickers could be heard. Leaving the rest to Gin and Kaname, I left the throne room. Things were going as planned. That old bastard wouldn't know what hit them until the walls of Seireitei came crashing down. Kurosaki Ichigo only served to fuel my passion. This war is going to be much more interesting with you around. Not forgetting the wielder of light, Minori Skye. That girl is enigmatic, I mused. I slowly sipped the green tea as I begin adding this new member into my plan.

**Skye **

I was stumped. Overwhelmed. Flabbergasted. Everything was screaming at me to run. To run away from this awkward situation. And so I did. Only when I reached the safety havens of my room did I begin to calm down. It started out as a beautiful night. The dinner was scrumptious, the place resonated regality, the gardens glowed under the night sky…yet all these paled in comparison to the kiss. I touched my lips. It was the most amazing thing that occurred in centuries. As much as I enjoyed the moment, there was no denying that it was wrong. It was all but a mistake. _Love. _I do not know if I am capable of that any longer.

"I should sleep." I spoke affirmatively to no one in particular. I slowly sank into the mattress, relishing in its softness.

"_Oh my darling, oh my darling,_

_My darling Clementine, _

_You are lost and gone forever, _

_Dreadful sorry, Clementine." _

It was the first time in years that I sang myself to sleep.

**That's all, lovelies! I would explain in the next chapter why Skye felt that the kiss was a mistake. **

**Please take a minute to review, it would certainly make my day(: If you think that there should be more romance and heated scenes or what not, please feel free to tell me! **


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